s  3 


GEORGE   WASHINGTON   ANB   HISTORICAL   SCENES. 


BARNES'S     ONE-TERM     ^ISTORY. 


BRIEF  HISTORY 


UNITED    STATES 


FOR      SC  H  O  OLS. 


"  We  have  heard -with  our  ears,  O  God,  our  fathers  have  told  us, 
what  work  Hunt  didst  in  their  days,  in  the  times  of  old.  *  *  *  * 
For  they  got  not  the  land  in  possession  by  their  own  sword,  neither 
did  their  own  arm  save  them  ;  but  thy  right  hand,  and  thine  arm, 
and  the  light  of  thy  countenance,  because  thou  hadst  a  favor  unto 
them."— Psalm  xliv.  i,  3. 


A.     S.     BARNES    &    COMPANY, 

NEW    YORK    AND    CHICAGO. 

1873. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1871,  by 

A.  S.  BARNES  &  CO., 
In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congr-ss   at  Washington. 


SBAS- 


PREFACE. 


experience  of  all  teachers  witnesses  to  the 
lamentable  deficiency  in  historical  knowl- 
fp^  edge  among  their  pupils ;  not  that  children 
disrelish  the  incidents  and  events  of  history, 
for,  indeed,  they  prefer  them  to  the  improbable  tales 
which  now  form  the  bulk  of  their  reading,  but 
because  the  books  are  "  dry."  Those  which  are 
interesting  are  apt  to  be  lengthy,  and  the  mind  con- 
sequently becomes  confused  by  the  multitude  of 
detail ;  while  the  brief  ones  often  contain  merely  the 
dry  bones  of  fact,  uninviting  and  unreal.  An  attrac- 
tive book  which  can  be  mastered  in  a  single  term  is 
the  necessity  of  our  schools.  The  present  work  is  an 
attempt  to  meet  this  want  in  American  histories.  In 
its  preparation  there  has  been  an  endeavor  to  develop 
the  following  principles : 

i.  To  precede  each  Epoch  by  questions  and  a  map, 
so  that  the  pupil  may  become  familiar  with  the  loca- 
tion of  all  the  places  named  in  the  history  he  is  about 
to  study. 

710715 


jv  P  It  E  I?  A  C  E  . 

2.  To  select  only  the  most  important  events  for  the 
body   of  the   text,  and  then,  by   foot-notes,  to   give 
explanations,  illustrations,    minor    events,   anecdotes, 
&c. 

3.  To   classify   the    events    under    general    topics, 
which  are  given  in  distinct  type  at  the  beginning  of 
each  paragraph  ;   thus  impressing  the  leading  idea  on 
the  mind  of  the  pupil,  enabling  him  to  see  at  a  glance 
the   prominent   points   of  the   lesson,  and  especially 
adapting  the  book  to  that   large   and   constantly  in- 
creasing class  of  teachers,  who  require  topical  recita- 
tions. 

4.  To  select,  in  the  description  of  each  battle,  some 
characteristic  in  which  it  differs  from  all  other  battles 
— its  key-note,  by  which  it  can  be  recollected ;   thus 
not  only  preventing  a  sameness,  but  giving  to  the 
pupil  a  point  around  which  he  may  group  information 
obtained  from  fuller  descriptions  and  larger  histories. 

5.  To  give  only  leading  dates,  and,  as  far  as  pos- 
sible, to   associate   them  with   each   other,  and  thus 
assist  the  memory  in  their  permanent  retention  ;    ex- 
perience   having   proved   the    committing    of    many 
dates  to  be  the  most  barren  and  profitless  of  all  school 
attainments. 

6.  To  give  5ach  campaign  as  a  whole,  rather  than 
to  mingle  several  by  presenting  the  events  in  chrono- 
logical order.     Whenever,  by  the  operations  of  one 
army  being  dependent  on  those  of  another,  this  plan 
might  fail  to  show  the  inter-relation  of  events,  to  pre- 
vent such  a  result  by  so  arranging  the  campaigns  that 
the  supporting  event  shall  precede  the  supported  one. 


PREFACE.  V 

7.  To  give  something  of  the  philosophy  of  history, 
the  causes  and  effects  of  events,  and,  in  the  case  of 
great  battles,  the  objects  sought  to  be  attained  ;   thus 
leading  pupils  to  a  thoughtful  study  of  history,  and  to 
an  appreciation  of  the  fact  that  events  hinge  upon 
each  other. 

8.  To  insert,  in  foot-notes,  sketches  of  the  more  im- 
portant   personages,    especially   the    presidents,   and 
thus  to  enable  the  student  to  form  some  estimate  of 
their  character. 

9.  To  use  language,  a  clause  or  sentence  of  which 
cannot  be  selected  or  committed  as  an  answer  to  a 
question,  but  such  as,  giving  the  idea  vividly,  will 
yet  compel  the  pupil  to  express  it  in  his  own  words. 

10.  To  assign  to  each  Epoch  its  fair  proportion  of 
space  ;  not  expanding  the  earlier  ones  at  the  expense 
of  the  later ;  but  giving  due  prominence  to  the  events 
nearer  our  own  time,  especially  to  the  Civil  War. 

11.  To  write  a  National  history  by  carefully  avoid- 
ing all  sectional  or  partisan  views. 

12.  To  give  the  new  States  the  attention  due  to 
their  importance  by  devoting  space  to  each  one  as  it 
is  admitted  into  the  Union,  and  becomes  a  feature  in 
the  grand  national  development. 

13.  To  lead  to  a  more  independent  use  of  the  book, 
and  the  adoption  of  the  topical  mode  of  recitation  and 
study,  as  far  as  possible,  by  placing  the  questions  at 
the  close  of  the  work,  rather  than  at  the  bottom  of 
each  page. 

14.  To  furnish,  under  the  title  of  Historical  Recrea- 
tions, a  set  of  review  questions  which  may  serve  to 


vi  PREFACE. 

awaken  an  interest  in  class  and  induce  a  more  com- 
prehensive study  of  the  book. 

Finally— this  work  is  offered  to  American  youth  in 
the  confident  belief  that  as  they  study  the  wonderful 
history  of  their  native  land,  they  will  learn  to  prize 
their  birthright  more  highly,  and  treasure  it  more 
carefully.  Their  patriotism  must  be  kindled  when 
they  come  to  see  how  slowly,  yet  how  gloriously, 
this  tree  of  liberty  has  grown,  what  storms  have 
wrenched  its  boughs,  what  sweat  of  toil  and  blood 
has  moistened  its  roots,  what  eager  eyes  have  watched 
every  out-springing  bud,  what  brave  hearts  have  de- 
fended it,  loving  it  even  unto  death.  A  heritage  thus 
sanctified  by  the  heroism  and  devotion  of  the  fathers 
can  but  elicit  the  choicest  care  and  tenderest  love  of 
the  sons. 


The  following  authorities,  among  many  others,  have  been  used  in 
the  preparation  of  this  work  :  Hildreth's,  Bancroft's,  Tucker's,  Sears's, 
Goodrich's,  and  Spencer's  Histories  of  the  United  States  ;  Barber's  and 
Palfrey's  Histories  of  New  England  ;  Parkman's  works ;  Moore's 
Diary ;  Lossing's  Field-Books ;  Sparks's  Biographies  ;  Irving's  Lives 
of  Columbus  and  Washington  ;  Lives  of  the  Presidents ;  Histories  of 
the  States  ;  Draper,  Greeley,  Abbott,  Headley,  Pollard,  and  Swinton 
on  the  Civil  War  ;  Haydn's  Dictionary  of  Dates,  etc. 

The  publishers  will  be  very  grateful  for  the  criticisms  of  teachers 
upon  the  early  editions  of  this  work,  that  the  public  may  benefit,  at  the 
earliest  moment,  by  any  correction  or  improvement  of  which  it  may  be 
susceptible. 


TABLE    OF    CONTENTS. 


PACK 

INTRODUCTION, 9 

FIRST    EPOCH. 
EARLY  DISCOVERIES  AND  SETTLEMENTS, 19 

SECOND    EPOCH. 
DEVELOPMENT  OF  THE  COLONIES 45 

THIRD    EPOCH. 
THE  REVOLUTIONARY  WAR 101 

FOURTH    EPOCH. 
DEVELOPMENT  OF  THE  STATES, 147 

FIFTH    EPOCH. 
THE  CIVIL  WAR, 215 

SIXTH    EPOCH. 
RECONSTRUCTION  AND  PASSING  EVENTS, 281 


APPENDIX. 

QUESTIONS  FOR  CLASS  USE t 

HISTORICAL  RECREATIONS,      .        .        .   • xix 

DECLARATION  OF  INDEPENDENCE, xxv 

CONSTITUTION  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES, xxviii 

TABLES, xxxix 

INDEX,  xl 


A  SUGGESTION   T©   TEACHERS. 


THE  following  method  of  using  this  work  has  been  devised  by 
O.  R.  SMITH,  A.M.,  Principal  of  High  School,  Sparta,  Wis.,  and 
has  been  successfully  employed  by  many  teachers.  At  the  commence- 
ment of  the  study  let  each  pupil  be  required  to  draw  an  outline  map 
of  North  America,  at  least  18  x  24  inches  in  size.  This  should  contain 
only  physical  features,  viz.,  coast-line,  mountains,  lakes,  and  rivers. 
If  desired,  they  may  be  marked  very  faintly  at  first,  and  shaded  and 
darkened  when  discovered  in  the  progress  of  the  history.  As  the 
pupils  advance  in  the  text  let  them  mark  on  their  maps,  day  by  day, 
the  places  discovered,  the  settlements,  battles,  political  divisions,  etc., 
with  their  dates.  They  will  thus  see  the  country  growing  afresh  under 
their  hand  and  eye,  and  the  geography  and  the  history  will  be  indis- 
solubly  linked.  At  the  close  of  the  term  their  maps  will  show  what 
they  have  done,  and  each  name,  with  its  dates,  will  recall  the  history 
which  clusters  around  it. 

Recitations  and  examinations  may  be  conducted  by  having  a  map 
drawn  upon  the  blackboard  with  colored  crayons,  and  requiring  the 
class  to  fill  in  the  names  and  dates,  describing  the  historical  facts  as 
they  proceed. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  A.  D.  1872,  by  A.  S.  BARNES  &  Co.,  in  the 
Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


HO    first    settled    America? — It 

was  probably  first  peopled  from  Asia, 
the  birth-place  of  man.  In  what  way 
^/'^  this  happened,  we  do  not  know.  Chi- 
nese vessels,  coasting  along  the  shore  according  to  the  cus- 
tom of  early  voyagers,  may  have  been  driven  by  a  storm 
across  the  Pacific  ocean,  while  the  crews  were  thankful  to 
escape  a  watery  grave  by  settling  an  unknown  country: 
or,  parties  straggling  across  Behring  Strait  in  search  of  adven- 
ture, and  finding  here  a  pleasant  land,  may  have  resolved 
to  make  it  their  home. 

American  Antiquities. — In  various  parts  of  the  con- 
tinent remains  are  found  of  the  nations  which  inhabited 
the  country  in  those  early  days.  Through  the  Mississippi 
valley,  from  the  lakes  to  the  Gulf,  extends  a  succession  of  d.e- 


10 


UNITED    STATES    HISTOKY. 


fensive  earthworks.*  Similar  ruins  are  found  in  various  other 
sections  of  the  United  States.  The  largest  forest  trees  are 
growing  upon  them,  and  the  Indians  have  no  tradition  as  to 
their  origin.  They  consist  of  embankments,  ditches,  &c.,  and 
indicate  considerable  acquaintance  with  military  science.  They 
generally  crown  steep  hills,  and  are  laid  out  with  great  pre- 
cision. At  Newark,  Ohio,  a  fortification  exists  which  covers 
an  area  of  more  than  two  miles  square,  and  has  over  two  miles 
of  embankment  from  two  to  twenty  feet  high. 

Mounds,  seemingly  constructed  as  great  altars  for  religious 
purposes  or  as  monuments,  are  also  numerous.  One,  oppo- 
site St.  Louis,  covers  eight  acres  of  ground,  and  is  ninety  feet 
high. "  There  are  said  to  be  10,000  of  these  mounds  in  Ohio 
alone. 

A  very  peculiar  kind  of  earth- 
work has  the  outline  of  gigantic 
men  or  animals.  An  embank- 
ment in  Adams  Co.,  Ohio,  repre- 
sents very  accurately  a  serpent 
1000  feet  long.  Its  body  winds 
with  graceful  curves,  and  in  its 
wide  extended  jaws  lies  a  figure 
which  the  animal  seems  about  to 
swallow.  In  Mexico  and  Peru,  still 
more  wonderful  remains  have  been 
THE  SERPENT  MOUND.  discovered.  They  consist  not  alone 

of   defensive  works,   altars,  and  monuments,   but  of  idols, 
ruined  temples,  aqueducts,  bridges,  and  paved  roads. 

The  Mound  Builders  is  the  name  given  to  the  peo- 
ple who  erected  the  moimds  of  North  America.  They  seem 

*  It  is  a  singular  fact  that  banks  of  earth  grassed  over,  are  more  enduring  than  any 
er  work  of  man.    The  grassy  mounds  near  Nineveh  and  Babylon  have  remained 
unchanged  for  centuries.    Meantime  massive  buildings  of  stone  have  been  erected 
served  long  generations,  and  crumbled  to  utter  rain 


INTEODUCTIOK.  11 

to  have  emigrated  to  Central  America,  and  there  to  have 
developed  a  high  civilization.  They  built  cities,  wove  cotton, 
worked  in  gold,  silver,  and  copper,  labored  in  the  fields,  and 
had  regular  governments. 

The  Indians  who  were  found  on  this  continent  east  of 
the  Mississippi,  by  the  first  European  settlers,  did  not  exceed 
200,000  in  number.  However,  in  Mexico,  Peru,  and  the  In- 
dies, there  was  an  immense  population.  The  Indians  were  the 
successors  of  the  Mound  Builders,  and  were  by  far  their  infe- 
riors in  civilization.  We  know  not  why  the  ancient  race  left, 
nor  whence  the  Indians  came.  The  former  may  have  been 
driven  southward  by  these  savage  tribes  from  the  north. 

Indian  Characteristics.* — Arts  and  Inventions. — The 
Indian  has  been  well  termed  the  "Bed  Man  of  the  Forest." 
He  built  no  cities,  no  ships,  no  churches,  no  school-houses. 
He  constructed  only  temporary  bark  wigwams  and  canoes. 
He  made  neither  roads  nor  bridges,  but  followed  foot-paths 
through  the  forest,  and  swam  the  streams.  His  highest  art 
was  expended  in  a  simple  bow  and  arrow. 

Progress  and  Education. — He  made  no  advancement,  but 
each  son  emulated  the  prowess  of  his  father  in  the  hunt 
and  the  fight.  The  hunting-ground  and  the  battle-field  em- 
braced everything  of  real  honor,  or  value.  So  the  son  was 
educated  to  throw  the  tomahawk,  shoot  the  arrow,  and  catch 
fish  with  the  spear.  He  knew  nothing  of  books,  paper,  writ- 
ing, or  history,  f 

Domestic  Life. — The  Indian  had  no  domestic  animals,  no 
beast  of  burden.  He  regarded  all  labor  as  degrading,  and  fit 
only  for  women.  His  squaw,  therefore,  built  his  wigwam,  cut 
his  wood,  and  carried  his  burdens  when  he  journeyed.  While 

*  This  description  applies  to  the  Indians  inhabiting  the  present  limits  of  the 
United  States. 

t  Some  tribes  and  families  seem  to  have  been  further  advanced  than  others,  and 
to  have  instructed  their  children,  especially  those  young  niea  who  hoped  to  become 
chiefs,  in  the  history  and  customs  of  their  nation. 


la  UNITED    STATES    HISTORY. 

he  hunted  or  fished,  she  cleared  the  land  for  his  corn  by  bum- 
in<r  down  the  trees,  scratched  the  ground  with  a  crooked  stick, 
or°hoed  it  with  a  clam-shell,  and  dressed  skins  for  his  clothing. 
She  cooked  his  food  by  dropping  hot  stones  into  a  tight  wil- 
low basket  containing  materials  for  soup.  The  leavings  of  her 
lord's  feast  sufficed  for  her,  and  the  coldest  place  in  the  wig, 
warn  was  her  seat. 


INDIAN   LIFE. 


Disposition. — He  rarely  spoke  to  his  wife  or  children.  He 
would  sit  on  the  ground  for  days,  leaning  his  elbows  on  his 
knees  in  stupid  silence.  He  was  crafty  and  cruel.  His 
word  was  no  protection.  False  and  cunning,  he  never  hesi- 
tated to  violate  a  treaty  when  his  passions  prompted  him  to 
hatred. 

Endurance. — He  could  endure  great  fatigue,  and  in  his  ex- 


INTRODUCTION.  13 

peditions  often  lay  without  shelter  in  severest  weather.    It 
was  his  great  glory  to  bear  the  most  horrible  tortures  without 


Religion, — His  religion  varied  with  his  civilization.  The 
Indians  of  New  England  had  no  word  for  God,  and  there  is 
no  evidence  on  record  of  a  truly  religious  ceremony  among 
them.  The  Iroquois  (ir-o-quoy')  Indians  of  Central  New 
York  possessed  a  rude  civilization,  and  believed  in  a  Great 
Spirit,  and  in  happy  hunting  grounds,  where  the  departed 
warrior  would  hunt  and  feast  forever.  Southward,  the  Indians 
gradually  increased  in  civilization,  as  well  as  in  knowledge  of 
a  future  life.  In  Central  America  they  had  cities  with  tem- 
ples, altars,  and  an  established  priesthood. 

The  Indian  of  the  present. — Such  was  the  Indian  two 
hundred  years  ago,  and  such  he  is  to-day.  He  opposes  the 
encroachments  of  the  settler,  and  the  building  of  railroads. 
But  he  cannot  stop  the  tide  of  immigration.  Unless  he  can 
be  induced  to  give  up  his  roving  habits,  and  to  cultivate  the 
soil,  he  is  doomed  to  destruction.  It  is  to  be  earnestly  hoped 
that  the  red  man  may  yet  be  Christianized,  and  taught  the 
arts  of  industry  and  peace. 

The  Northmen  (inhabitants  of  Norway  and  Sweden) 
claim  to  have  been  the  original  discoverers  of  America.  Ac- 
cording to  their  traditions,  this  continent  was  seen  first  about 
the  year  1000,  by  one  Biorne,  who  had  been  driven  to  sea  by  a 
tempest.  Afterward  other  adventurers  made  successful  voy- 
ages, established  settlements,  and  bartered  with  the  natives. 
Snorre,  son  of  one  of  these  settlers,  is  said  to  have  been  the 
first  child  born  of  European  parents  upon  our  shore.*  The 

*  Snorre's  father  emigrated  from  Iceland,  which  was  then  a  republic  where  the 
Christian  religion  had  been  made  national.  Thus,  through  his  parentage,  Snorre 
was  a  member  of  a  Christian  republic. 

He  was  also  founder  of  an  illustrious  family.  One  of  his  descendants  is  said  to 
have  been  Albert  Thorwaldsen,  the  great  Danish  eeulptor  of  the  present  century. 


!4  UNITED    STATES    HISTORY. 

Northmen  claim  to  have  explored  the  coast  as  far  south  as 
Florida.  What  credit  is  to  be  given  to  these  traditions  is  un- 
certain. Many  historians  reject  them,  while  others  think 
there  are  yet  traces  of  the  Northmen  remaining,  such  as  the 
old  tower  at  Newport,  R  I.,  and 
the  singular  inscriptions  on  the 
rock  at  Dighton,  Mass.  Admit- 
ting, however,  the  claims  of  the 
Northmen,  the  fact  is  barren  of 
all  results.  No  permanent  settle- 
ments were  made,  the  route 
hither  was  lost,  and  even  the 
existence  of  the  continent  was 
forgotten.  The  true  history  of 
this  country  begins  with  its  dis- 
Covery  by  Columbus  in  1492,  It 
naturally  divides  itself  into  six  great  epochs. 

FIRST    EPOCH. 

EARLY  DISCOVERIES  ^ND   SETTLEMENTS. 
This  epoch  extends  from  1492,  the  discovery  of  America, 
to  1607,  the  settlement  at  Jamestown,  Va.      During  this 
period  various  European  nations  were  exploring  the  continent, 
and  making  widely  scattered  settlements. 

SECOHD   EPOCH. 

DEVELOPMENT  OF  THE  COLONIES, 
This  epoch  extends  from  1607,  the  settlement  at  James- 
town, Va.,  to  1775,  the  breaking  out  of  the   Revolutionary 

The  beautiful  photographs  of  Thorwaldsen's  "Day,"  "Night,"  and  "  The  Seasons," 
which  hang  in  go  many  American  parlors,  thus  acquire  a  new  interest  by  being 
linked  with  the  pioneer  boy  born  on  New  England  shores  so  many  centuries  ago. 


INTRODUCTION.  15 

War.    During  this  period  the  scattered  settlements  grew  into 
thirteen  nourishing  colonies,  subject  to  Great  Britain. 


THIRD    EPOCH. 

REVOLUTIONARY  WAR. 

This  epoch  extends  from  1775,  the  breaking  out  of  the 
Revolutionary  "Wa^  to  1787,  the  adoption  of  the  Constitution. 
During  this  period  the  colonies  threw  off  the  government  of 
England,  and  established  their  independence. 

FOURTH   EPOCH. 

DEVELOPMENT   OF  T^E  STATES. 

This  epoch  extends  from  1787,  the  adoption  of  the  Consti- 
tution, to  1861,  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  War.  During 
this  period  the  States  increased  in  number  from  thirteen  to 
thirty-four,  and  grew  in  population  and  wealth  until  the 
United  States  became  the  most  prosperous  nation  in  the  world. 

FIFTH    EPOCH. 

CIVIL 


This  epoch  extends  from  1861,  the  breaking  out  of  the 
war,  to  1865,  the  surrender  of  Lee's  army.  During  this 
period  a  most  gigantic  strife  was  carried  on  between  the 
Northern  and  Southern  States,  the  former  struggling  for  the 
perpetuation  of  the  Union,  and  the  latter  for  its  division. 


1(5  IX  IT  ED     STATES     HISTOltY. 

SIXTH   EPOCH. 

RECONSTRUCTION,  AND  PASSING  EVENTS. 

This  epoch  extends  from  the  closing  of  the  civil  war  to  the 
present  time.  During  this  period  the  seceding  States  have 
been  restored  to  their  rights  in  the  Union,  peace  has  been 
fully  established,  and  many  interesting  events  have  occurred. 


EJJRLY  DISCOVERIES  pD  SETTLEMENTS, 


EOGRAPHICAL    knowledge    in 
the  Fifteenth  Century.—  The  peo- 
ple of  Europe  had  then  never  heard 
of  America.    About  that  time,  a  great 
desire  for  geographical   knowledge 
was  awakened.    The  compass  and 
the    astrolabe  —  an    instrument    for 
reckoning  latitude  —  had    been    re- 
cently invented.    Voyagers  were  no 
BALBOA.  longer  compelled  to  creep  along  the 

shore,  but  began  to  strike  out  boldly 

into  th&  open  sea.    The  art  of  printing  had  just  come  into  use, 
and  books  of  travel  were  eagerly  read. 


Question*  on  the  Geor/raphy  of  l?ie  First  ^pocA.—ln  the  accompanying 
map  there  are  no  divisions  of  the  continent,  as  none  existed  at  that  time.  When 
they  are  called  for  in  the  following  questions,  the  ohject  is  to  test  the  pupil's  geo- 
graphical knowledge. 

Locate  the  West  Indies.  San  Salvador  (now  called  Guanahani,  gwah-nah-hah'-ne, 
and  Cat  Island).  •  Cuba.  Hayti  (h2-te).  Newfoundland.  Cape  Breton.  Eoanoke 
Island.  Manhattan  Island. 

Describe  the  Orinoco  River.  Mississippi  River.  St.  Lawrence  River.  St.  John's 
River.  James  River.  Hudson  River.  Chickahominy. 

.Where  is  Labrador?  Central  America?  Florida?  Mexico?  New  Mexico? 
California  ?  Oregon  ?  Peru  ? 

Locate  St.  Augustine.  Santa  F6  (sahn-tah-f3).  New  York.  Newport.  Montreal. 
Quebec.  Albany.  Jamestown.  Port  Royal.  Isthmus  of  Darien.  Cape  Henry. 
Cape  Charles.  Cape  Cod.  Massachusetts  Bay.  Chesapeake  Bay.  Hudson's  Bay. 


20  r  x  i  T  i:  i >    s  T  A  T  B 8    11 1  s  T  o  u  Y.  114T4. 

Marco  Polo  and  other  adventurers  returning  from  the  East, 
had  told  wonderful  stories  of  the  wealth  of  Asiatic  cities. 
Genoa,  Florence,  Venice,  and  other  cities  on  the  shore  of  the 
Mediterranean,  had  become  enriched  by  trade  with  the  East. 
The  costly  shawls,  spices,  and  silks  of  Persia  and  India  were 
borne  by  caravans  to  the  Red  Sea,  thence  on  camels  across  the 
desert  to  the  Nile,  and  lastly  by  ship  over  the  Mediterranean 
to  Europe. 

The  great  problem  of  the  age  was  how  to  reach  the  East 
Indies  by  sea,  and  thus  give  a  cheaper  route  to  these  rich 

products. 

Columbus*  conceived  that 

ly  sailing  west  lie  could  reach 
the  East  Indies.  He  believed 
the  earth  to  be  round,  which 
was  then  a  novel  idea.  He, 
however,  thought  it  much 
smaller  than  it  really  is,  and 
that  Asia  extended  much  fur- 
ther round  the  world  to  the 
east  than  it  does.  Hence,  he 
argued  that  by  going  a  few 
COLUMBUS.  hundred  leagues  west  he  would 

*  Christopher  Columbus  was  horn  in  Genoa,  Italy,  1435.  He  was  trained  for  the 
eea  from  his  childhood.  Being  the  eldest  of  four  children,  and  his  father  a  poor 
wool-comber,  much  care  devolved  upon  him.  It  is  said  that  at  thirty,  his  hair  was 
white  from  trouble  and  anxiety.  His  kind  and  loving  disposition  is  proved  by  the 
fact  that  in  his  poorest  days  he  saved  part  of  his  pittance  to  educate  his  young  broth- 
ers, and  support  his  aged  father. 

Columbus  was  determined,  shrewd,  and  intensely  religious.  He  believed  and  an- 
nounced himself  to  be  divinely  called  to  li  carry  the  true  faith  into  the  uttermost 
parts  of  the  earth."  Inspired  by  this  thought,  no  discouragement  or  contumely 
could  drive  him  to  utterly  despair.  It  was  eighteen  years  from  the  conception  to  the 
accomplishment  of  his  plan.  During  all  this  time  his  life  was  a  marvel  of  patience, 
and  of  brave  devotion  to  his  one  purpose. 

His  sojrows  were  many ;  his  triumph  was  brief.  Evil  men  maligned  him  to  Fer- 
dinand and  Isabella.  Disregarding  their  promise  that  he  should  be  governor-gen- 
eral over  all  the  lands  he  might  discover,  the  king  and  queen  sent  out  another  gov- 
ernor, and  by  his  order  Columbus  was  sent  home  in  chains !  No  wonder  that  the 


'     1482.]  EPOCH    I.  21 

touch  the  coast  of  Eastern  Asia,*  He  was  determined  to  try 
this  new  route,  but  was  too  poor  to  pay  for  the  necessary  ships, 
men,  and  provisions. 

Columbus  at  the  Court  of  Portugal. — He  accordingly 
laid  his  plan  before  King  John  of  Portugal,  who,  being  pleased 
with  the  idea,  referred  it  to  the  geographers  of  his  court. 
They  pronounced  it  a  visionary  scheme.  With  a  lurking  feel- 
ing, however,  that  there  might  be  truth  in  it,  the  king  had 
the  meanness  to  secretly  despatch  a  vessel  to  test  the  matter. 
The  pilot  had  the  charts  of  Columbus,  but  lacked  his  heroic 
courage.  After  sailing  westward  from  Cape  de  Verde  islands 
for  a  few  days,  and  seeing  nothing  but  a  wide  waste  of  wildly 
tossing  waves,  he  returned,  ridiculing  the  idea^ 

Columbus  at  the  Court  of  Spain. — Columbus,  dis- 
heartened by  this  treachery,  betook  himself  to  Spain.  During 
seven  long  years  he  importuned  King  Ferdinand  for  a  reply. 
All  this  while  he  was  regarded  as  a  visionary  fellow,  and  when 
he  passed  along  the  streets,  even  the  children  pointed  to  their 
foreheads  and  smiled.  At  last,  the  learned  council  declared 
the  plan  too  foolish  for  further  attention.f  Turning  away 
sadly,  Columbus  determined  to  go  to  France. 


whole  nation  was  shocked  at  such  an  indignity  to  such  a  man.  It  is  sad  to  know 
that  although  Ferdinand  and  Isabella  endeavored  to  soothe  his  wounded  spirit  by 
many  attentions,  they  never  restored  to  him  his  lawful  rights.  From  fluent  prom- 
ises they  passed  at  last  to  total  neglect,  and  Columbus  died  a  grieved  and  disappoint- 
ed old  man.  At  his  request,  his  chains  were  buried  with  him,  a  touching  memorial 
of  Spanish  ingratitude. 

*  Several  facts  served  to  strengthen  the  faith  of  Columbus  in  the  correctness  of  his 
theory.  The  Azores  and  the  Cape  de  Verde  islands  were  the  most  westerly  lands 
then  known.  There  had  been  washed  on  their  shores  by  westerly  winds,  pieces  of 
wood  curiously  carved,  trees,  and  seeds  of  unknown  species,  and  especially  the 
bodies  of  two  men  of  strange  color  and  visage. 

t  "  It  is  absurd,"  said  those  wise  men.  "  Who  is  so  foolish  as  to  believe  that 
there  are  people  on  the  other  side  of  the  world,  walking  with  their  heels  upward,  and 
their  heads  hanging  down  f  And  then,  how  can  a  ship  get  there  ?  The  torrid  zone, 
through  which  they  must  pass,  is  a  region  of  fire,  where  the  very  waves  boil.  And 
even  if  a  ship  could  perchance  get  around  there  safely,  how  could  it  ever  get  back  ? 
Can  a  ship  sail  up  hill  ?"  All  of  which  sounds  very  strange  to  us  now,  when  hun- 
dreds of  travelers  make  every  year  the  entire  circuit  of  the  globe. 


'22  UNITED    STATES    HISTOET.  [1493. 

Columbus  successful. — His  friends  at  the  Spanish  court, 
at  this  juncture,  laid  the  matter  before  Queen  Isabella,  and  she 
was  finally  won  to  his  cause.  The  king  remained  indifferent, 
and  pleaded  the  want  of  funds.  The  queen  in  her  earnestness 
exclaimed,  "  I  pledge  my  jewels  to  raise  the  money."  But  her 
sacrifice  was  not  required.  St.  Angel,  the  court  treasurer,  ad- 
vanced most  of  the  money,  and  the  friends  of  Columbus  the 
balance, — in  all  about  $20,000,  equal  to  six  times  that  amount 
at  the  present  day.  Columbus  had  succeeded  at  last. 

Columbus's  Equipment. — Though  armed  with  the  king's 
authority,  Columbus  obtained  vessels  and  sailors  with  the 
greatest  difficulty.  The  boldest  seamen  shrank  from  such  a 
desperate  undertaking.  At  last,  three  small  vessels  were 
manned;  the  Pinta,  (peen'-tah),  Santa  Maria,  (ma-re-ah),  and 
Nina,  (ne-nah). 

Incidents  of  the  Voyage. — When  the  ships  struck  out 
boldly  westward  on  the  untried  sea,  and  the  sailors  saw  the 
last  trace  of  land  fade  from  their  sight,  many,  even  of  the 
bravest,  burst  into  tears.  As  they  proceeded,  their  hearts 
were  wrung  by  superstitious  fears.  To  their  dismay,  the  com- 
pass no  longer  pointed  directly  north,  and  they  believed  them- 
selves coming  into  a  region  where  the  very  laws  of  nature 
were  changed.  They  came  into  the  track  of  the  trade-wind, 
which  wafted  them  steadily  westward.  This,  they  were  sure, 
was  carrying  them  to  destruction,  for  how  could  they  ever  re- 
turn against  it  ?  Signs  of  land,  such  as  flocks  of  birds,  flying 
fish,  and  floating  plants,  were  often  seen,  and  the  clouds  near 
the  horizon  assumed  the  look  of  land,  but  they  disappeared, 
and  only  the  broad  ocean  spread  out  before  them  as  they 
advanced.  The  sailors,  so  often  deceived,  lost  heart,  and  in- 
sisted upon  returning  home.  Columbus,  with  wonderful  tact 
and  patience,  explained  all  these  appearances.  But  the  more 
he  argued,  the  louder  became  their  murmurs.  At  last  they 


1492.]  EPOCH    I.  23 

secretly  determined  to  throw  him  overboard.  Although  he 
knew  their  feelings,  he  did  not  waver,  but  declared  that  he 
would  proceed  till  the  enterprise  was  accomplished. 

Fortunately,  on  the  next  day  a  branch  of  thorn  with  berries 
on  it,  a  board,  and  a  staff  artificially  carved  floated  near.  All 
was  now  eager  expectation.  In  the  evening,  Columbus  beheld 
a  light  rising  and  falling  in  the  distance,  as  of  a  torch  borne 
by  one  walking.  Later  at  night,  the  joyful  cry  of  Land! 
rang  out  from  the  Pinta.  In  the  morning  the  shore,  green 
with  tropical  verdure,  lay  smiling  before  them. 

The  Landing. — Columbus,  dressed  in  a  splendid  military 
suit  of  scarlet  embroidered  with  gold,  and  followed  by  a  reti- 
nue of  his  officers  and  men  bearing  banners,  stepped  upon  the 
new  world,  Friday,  Oct.  12,  1492.  He  threw  himself  upon 
his  knees,  kissed  the  earth,  arid  with  tears  of  joy  gave  thanks 
to  God.  He  then  formally  planted  the  cross,  and  took  posses- 
sion of  the  country  in  the  name  of  Ferdinand  and  Isabella. 

The  wondering  natives,  who  crowded  the  shore,  gazed  on 
them  with  awe.  They  supposed  the  ships  to  be  huge  white 
winged  birds,  and  the  Spaniards  to  have  come  from  heaven. 
How  sadly,  and  how  soon  these  simple  people  were  undeceived! 

Further  Discoveries.— Columbus  found  the  land  to  be 
an  island,  which  he  named  St.  Salvador.  He  supposed  that 
he  had  reached  the  island's  lying  off  the  eastern  coast  of  India. 
He  therefore  called  the  country  the  West  Indies,  and  the 
natives,  Indians.  He  also  made  careful  inquiries  after  the  rich 
products  of  the  east,  such  as  spices,  precious  stones,  and  espe- 
cially gold.  The  simple  people  had  only  a  few  golden  orna- 
ments. These  they  readily  bartered  for  hawk's  bells.  Cuba, 
Hayti,  and  other  islands  were  discovered  and  visited  in  the 
vain  hope  of  securing  oriental  treasures.  He  even  sent  a  dep- 
utation into  the  interior  of  Cuba  to  a  famous  chief,  supposing 
him  to  be  the  great  king  of  Tartaiy ! 


24 


UNITED    STATES    HISTORY. 


[1493. 


At  last,  urged  by  his  crew,  he  relinquished  the  search,  and 
turned  his  vessels  homeward. 

His  Reception,  on  his  return,  was  flattering  in  the  ex- 
treme. The  whole  nation  took  a  holiday.  His  appearance 
was  hailed  with  shouts  and  the  ringing  of  bells.  The  king 
and  queen  were  dazzled  by  their  new  and  sudden  acquisition. 
As  Columbus  told  them  of  the  beautiful  land  he  had  discov- 
ered, its  brilliant  birds,  its  tropical  forests,  its  delicious  climate, 
and  above  all,  its  natives  waiting  to  be  converted  to  the  Chris- 
tian faith,  they  sank  upon  their  knees,  and  gave  God  thanks 
for  such  a  signal  triumph. 

Subsequent  Voyages. — 
Columbus  afterward  made 
three  voyages.  In  1498  he 
discovered  the  mainland,  near 
the  Orinoco  Eiver.  He,  how- 
ever, never  lost  the  delusion 
that  it  was  the  eastern  coast 
of  Asia,  and  died  ignorant  of 
the  grandeur  of  his  discovery. 

How  the  Continent  was 
named. — Americus    Vesputi- 
us  (a-mer-i-cus  ves-pu-she-us), 
a  friend  of  Columbus,  accom- 
TOMB  OF  COLUMDVS  AT  HAVANA.*         Panied  a  subsequent  expedition 

*  The  body  of  Columbus  was  deposited  in  the  Convent  of  San  Francisco,  Valla- 
dolid,  Spain.  It  was  thence  transported,  in  1513,  to  the  Carthusian  Monastery  of 
Seville,  where  a  handsome  monument  was  erected,  by  command  of  Ferdinand  and 
Isabella,  with  the  simple  inscription—"  To  Castile  and  Leon,  Colon  gave  a  new 
world."  In  1536,  his  body,  and  that  of  his  son  Diego,  were  removed  to  the  city  of 
Saint  Domingo,  Hayti,  and  interred  in  the  principal  chapel.  But  they  were  not  per- 
mitted to  rest  even  there,  for  in  1796  they  were  brought  to  Havana  with  imposing 
ceremonies.  His  final  resting-place  in  the  Cathedral  is  marked  by  a  slab  elaborately 
carved,  on  which  is  inscribed  in  Spanish - 

"  Oh,  rest  thon,  image  of  the  great  Colon, 
Thousand  centuries  remain,  guarded  in  the  urn, 
And  in  the  remembrance  of  our  nation." 


1199.]  L  P  O  C  II     1 .  25 

to  the  new  world.  A  German  named  Waldsee  Miiller  pub- 
lished an  interesting  account  of  his  adventures,  in  which  he 
suggested  that  the  country  should  be  called  America.  The 
work,  being  the  first  description  of  the  new  world,  was  very 
popular,  and  soon  the  name  was  adopted  by  geographers. 

John  Cab'-ot,  a  navigator  of  Bristol,  England,  by  studying 
his  charts  and  globes,  decided  that  since  the  degrees  of  longi- 
tude diminish  as  they  approach  the  pole,  the  shortest  route  to 
India  was  by  sailing  northwest,  instead  of  directly  west,  as 
Columbus  had  done.  He  easily  obtained  royal  authority,  and 
equipped  a  fleet  at  his  own  expense.  After  a  prosperous  voy- 
age, he  came  in  sight  of  the  sterile  region  of  Labrador,*  and 
sailed  along  the  coast  for  many  leagues.  This  was  fourteen 
months  before  Columbus  discovered  the  continent.  He  sup- 
posed it  to  be  the  territory  of  the  "  Great  Cham,"  king  of  Tar- 
tary.  Nevertheless,  he  landed,  planted  a  banner,  and  took 
possession  in  the  name  of  the  king  of  England.  On  his  return 
home  he  was  received  with  much  honor,  was  dressed  in  silk, 
and  styled  the  "  Great  Admiral."  The  booty  which  he  brought 
back  consisted  only  of  two  turkeys,  and  three  savages. 

Sebastian  Cabot  continued  his  father's  discoveries.  In 
the  same  summer  during  which  Columbus  reached  the  shore 
of  South  America,  Sebastian,  then  a  youth  of  only  twenty- 
one,  discovered  Newfoundland,  and  coasted  as  far  south  as 
Chesapeake  Bay.  As  he  did  not  find  the  way  to  India, 
or  any  gold,  precious  stones,  or  spices,  his  expedition  was 
considered  a  failure.  Yet,  by  his  discoveries,  England  ac- 
quired a  title  to  a  vast  territory  in  the  new  world.  Though 

*  It  is  said  that  a  map  of  Cabot's  has  lately  been  discovered  on  which  the  land  he 
first  saw,  and  named  Prima  Vista,  corresponds  with  Cape  Breton.  On  it  is  the  date 
1494.  If  this  be  authentic,  it  will  give  the  priority  of  the  discovery  of  the  American 
continent  to  Cabot  by  four  years,  and  decide  that  Cape  Breton,  and  not  Labrador  01 
the  Orinoco  River,  was  first  seen  by  European  eyes. 


26  uxiTED    STATES    HISTORY. 

he  gave  to  England  a  continent,  no  one  knows  his  burial- 
place. 

We  shall  now  follow  the  principal  explorations  made  in 
North  America,  within  the  limits  of  the  future  United  States, 
by  the  SPANIARDS,  FRENCH,  ENGLISH,  and  DUTCH.  The 
Spaniards  explored  mainly  the  southern  portion  of  the  con- 
tinent, the  French  the  northern,  and  the  English  the  middle 
portion  along  the  coast. 


SPANISH    EXPLORATIONS. 

Feeling  in  Spain. — America,  at  this  time,  was  to  the 
Spaniard  a  land  of  vague,  but  magnificent  promise,  where  the 
simple  natives  wore  unconsciously  the  costliest  gems,  and  the 
sands  of  the  rivers  sparkled  with  gold.  Every  returning  ship 
brought  fresh  news  to  quicken  the  pulse  of  Spanish  enthu- 
siasm. Now,  Cortez  had  taken  Mexico,  and  reveled  in  the 
wealth  of  the  Montezumas ;  now,  Pizarro  had  conquered  Peru, 
and  captured  the  riches  of  the  Incas;  now,  Magellan  had 
sailed  around  the  southern  point  of  South  America,  across  the 
Pacific  ocean,  and  returning  to  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  had 
circumnavigated  the  globe.  Men  of  the  highest  rank  and 
culture,  warriors,  adventurers,  all  flocked  to  the  new  world. 
Soon  Cuba,  Hispaniola,  Porto  Eico,  and  Jamaica  were  settled, 
and  ruled  by  Spanish  governors.  Among  the  Spanish  ex- 
plorers of  the  sixteenth  century  we  notice  the  following : 

Ponce  de  Leon  (pon'-tha-da-la-on')  was  a  gallant  soldier, 
but  an  old  man,  and  in  disgrace.  He  coveted  the  glory  of 
conquest  to  restore  his  tarnished  reputation,  and,  besides,  he 
had  heard  of  a  magical  fountain  in  this  fairy  land,  where 
one  might  bathe  and  be  young  again.  He  accordingly  equip- 


1512.]  EPOCH    I.  2? 

ped  an  expedition,  and  sailed  in  search  of  this  fabled  treasure. 
On  Easter  Sunday  (Pascua  Florida,  in  Spanish),  1512,*  he 
came  in  sight  of  a  land  gay  with  spring  flowers.  In  honor  of 
the  day,  he  called  it  Florida.  He  sailed  along  the  coast,  and 
landed  here  and  there,  but  returned  home  at  last,  an  old  man 
still,  having  found  neither  youth,  gold,  nor  glory. 

Balboa  crossed  the  Isthmus  of  Darien  the  next  year,  and 
from  the  summit  of  the  Andes  beheld  the  wide  expanse  of  the 
Pacific  Ocean.  Wading  into  its  waters  with  his  naked  sword 
in  one  hand,  and  the  banner  of  Castile  (kas-teel)  in  the  other, 
he  solemnly  declared  that  the  ocean,  and  all  the  shores  which 
it  might  touch,  belonged  to  the  crown  of  Spain  forever. 

De  Narvaez  (iiar-vah-eth)  received  a  grant  of  Florida, 
and  (1528)  with  300  men  attempted  its  conquest  Striking 
into  the  interior  they  wandered  about,  allured  by  the  prospect 
of  gold.  Wading  through  swamps,  crossing  deep  rivers  by 
swimming  and  by  rafts,  fighting  the  lurking  Indians  who  in- 
cessantly harassed  their  path,  and  perishing  with  hunger, 
they  reached  at  last  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  Hastily  constructing 
some  crazy  boats,  they  put  to  sea.  After  six  weeks  of  peril 
and  suffering,  they  were  shipwrecked.  De  Xarvaez  was  lost. 
Six  years  afterward,  four — the  only  survivors  of  this  ill-fated 
expedition — reached  the  Spanish  settlements  on  the  Pacific 
coast. 

Ferdinand  de  Soto,  undismayed  by  these  failures,  under- 
took anew  the  conquest  of  Florida.  He  set  out  with  GOO 

*  About  eight  years  afterward,  De  Ayllon  (Da-ile-yonO  made  a  kidnapping  expedi- 
tion to  what  is  now  known  as  South  Carolina.  He  desired  to  obtain  laborers  for  the 
mines  and  plantations  in  Hayti.  He  invited  some  of  the  natives  on  board  his  ves- 
sels, and  when  they  were  all  below,  he  suddenly  closed  the  hatches  and  set  sail  The 
speculation,  however,  did  not  turn  out  profitably.  One  vessel  sank  with  all  on 
board,  and  many,  preferring  starvation  to  slavery,  died  on  the  voyage. 

A  few  years  subsequent,  when  De  Ayllon  went  back  with  the  intention  of  settling 
the  country,  the  Indians  practised  upon  him  the  lesson  of  cruelty  he  had  taught 
them.  His  men  were  lured  into  the  interior.  Their  entertainers,  falling  upon  them 
'it  night,  slew  the  larger  part,  and  De  Ayllon  was  only  too  glad  to  escape  with  his 
life. 


28  U  N  I  T  E  D    S  T  A  T  E  S    H  I  S  T  0  R  Y  L1539- 

,  /«Ste     ^  » 

•,v 
^.-^ 


-rsl 


DE   SOTO  S   MARCH. 


choice  men,  amid  the  fluttering  of  banners,  the  pealing  of 
trumpets,  and  the  gleaming  of  helmet  and  lance.  For  month 
after  month  this  procession  of  cavaliers,  priests,  soldiers,  and 
Indian  captives  strolled  through  the  wilderness,  wherever  they 
suspected  a  prospect  of  gold.  They  traversed  Georgia,  Ala- 
bama, and  Mississippi.  In  the  third  year  of  their  wanderings 
(1541)  they  emerged  upon  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi.  Hero 
De  Soto  died  (1542).  At  dead  of  night  his  followers  sank  his 
body  in  the  river,  and  the  sullen  waters  buried  his  hopes  and 
his  ambition.  "  He  had  crossed  a  large  part  of  the  continent," 
says  Bancroft,  "and  found  nothing  so  remarkable  as  his 
burial-place."  De  Soto  had  been  the  soul  of  the  company. 
When  he  died,  the  other  adventurers  were  only  anxious  to  get 
home  in  safety.  They  constructed  boats,  and  descending  the 
river,  little  over  half  of  this  gallant  array  reached  the  settle- 
ments in  Mexico. 


15G3.]  EPOCH    I.  2U 

Melendez,  (ma-len-deth)  wiser  than  his  predecessors,  on 
landing  (1565)  forthwith  laid  the  foundations  of  a  colony.  In 
honor  of  the  day,  he  named  it  St.  Augustine.  This  is  the  old- 
est town  in  the  United  States.* 

Explorations  on  the  Pacific. — California,  in  the  six- 
teenth century,  was  a  general  name  applied  to  all  the  region 
northwest  of  Mexico.  It  is  said  to  have  originated  in  an  old 
Spanish  romance  very  popular  in  the  time  of  Cortez,  in  which 
appeared  a  character  called  California,  queen  of  the  Amazons. 
The  Mexicans  told  the  Spaniards  that  most  of  their  gold  and 
precious  stones  came  from  a  country  far  to  the  northwest 
Cortez,  therefore,  immediately  turned  his  attention  in  that 
direction,  and  sent  out  several  expeditions  to  explore  the  Cali- 
fornias.  All  these  adventurers  returned  empty-handed  from 
the  very  region  where,  three  centuries  afterward,  the  world  was 
startled  by  the  finding  of  an  El  Dorado  such  as  would  have 
satisfied  the  wildest  dreams  of  Cortez  and  his  credulous  fol- 
lowers. 

Cabrillo  (1542)  made  the  first  voyage  along  the  Pacific 
coast,  going  as  far  north  as  the  present  limits  of  Oregon. 

New  Mexico  was  explored  and  named  by  Espejo  (es-pii/- 
ho)  who  (1582)  founded  Santa  Fe,  which  is  the  second  oldest 
town  in  the  United  States.  This  was  seventeen  years  after  the 
settlement  of  St.  Augustine. 

Extent  of  the  Spanish  possessions-! — Spain,  at  the 
close  of  the  sixteenth  century,  held  possession  not  only  of  the 

*  "Fort  Marion,  built  by  the  Spaniards  in  1756,  of  a  curious  stone  composed  of 
tiny  shells,  still  exists  and  is  full  of  romantic  interest." 

t  The  conquests  of  the  new  world  greatly  enriched  Spain.  All  booty  was  sent  di- 
rectly  to  her  cofter?.  Spain  became  the  richest  and  most  powerful  country  in  Europe. 
All  the  other  nations  were  the  more  anxious  to  find  the  western  passage  to  India. 
The  routes  by  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  and  by  the  Straits  of  Magellan  were  long  and 
dangerous.  The  northwestern  route  Deemed  the  shortest.  This  was  the  object  of 
the  voyages  by  the  Cabots.  It  now  became  the  great  wish  of  all  maritime  nations, 
and  it  has  been  anxiously  sought  down  to  the  present  time. 


30  UNITED    STATES    Hi  STO  BY.  [1700.. 

\\Yst  Indies,  but  of  Yucatan,  Mexico,  and  Florida.*  The 
Spanish  explorers  had  traversed  a  large  rortion  of  the  present 
Southern  States,  and  the  Pacific  coast  All  this  vast  territory 
they  claimed  by  the  rights  of  discovery  and  possession. 


FRENCH    EXPLORATIONS. 

The  French  were  eager  to  share  hi  the  profits  which  Spain 
was  acquiring  in  the  new  world.  Within  seven  years  after  the 
discovery  of  the  continent,  the  fisheries  of  Newfoundland  were 
frequented  by  their  mariners.! 

Ver-ra-za-ni  (zah-ne),  a  Florentine,  was  the  first  navigator 
sent  by  the  French  king  to  find  the  new  way  to  the  Indies. 
Sailing  westward  from  Madeira  (1524),  he  reached  land  near 
the  present  harbor  of  Wilmington.  He  supposed  this  had 
never  been  seen  by  Europeans,  although  we  know  that  Cabot 
had  discovered  it  nearly  thirty  years  before.  He  coasted 
along  the  shores  of  Carolina  and  New  Jersey,  entered  the 
harbors  of  New  York  and  Newport,  and  returned  with  the 
most  glowing  description  of  the  new  lands  he  had  found. 
He  named  the  country  New  France.  This  term  was  after- 
ward confined  to  Canada. 

CartierJ  (kar-te-a)  ascended  the  River  St  Lawrence 
(1535)  to  the  Indian  village  of  Hochelaga  (ho-she-lah-ga)  the 

*  A  writer  of  that  time  locates  Quebec  in  FJ  rida,  and  a  map  of  Henry  H.  gives 
that  name  to  all  North  America. 

t  Cape  Breton  was  named  by  the  fishermen  in  remembrance  of  their  home  in  Brit- 
tany, France. 

t  Cartier  had  discovered  and  named  the  Gnlf  and  River  St.  Lawrence  the  previous 
year.  In  1541-2,  he  and  Lord  Roberval  attempted  to  plant  a  colony  near  Quebec.  It 
was  composed  largely  of  convicts.  One  was  hung  for  theft;  several  were  put  in 
irons.  "Divers  ones,  men  as  well  as  women,  were  whipped."  Finally,  all  gladly 
hurried  home  to  France.  Fifty  years  afterward,  another  deputation  from  the  French 
prisons  were  settled  on  the  bleak  sandy  isle  of  Sable.  "  The  wretched  exiles  sighed 
for  their  dungeons.  A  short  residence  in  America  was  considered  a  sufficient  equiv- 
alent for  a  long  imprisonment  in  France,  and  the  few  survivors  were  pardoned." 


1535.]  EPOCH    I.  31 

present  site  of  Montreal.  The  town  was  pleasantly  situated 
at  the  foot  of  a  lofty  hill  which  Carrier  climbed.  Stirred  by 
the  magnificent  prospect,  he  named  it  Mont  Real  (Mong 
Rfi-al),  Regal  Mountain. 

John  Ribaut*  (re-bo)  led  the  first  expedition  (1562)  under 
the  auspices  of  Coligny.f  The  company  landed  at  Port  Royal, 
S.  C.  So  captivated  were  they,  that  when  volunteers  were  called 
for  to  hold  the  country  for  France,  so  many  came  forward  "with 
such  a  good  will  and  joly  -corage,"  wrote  Ribaut,  "  as  we  had 
much  to  do  to  stay  their  iinportunitie."  They  erected  a  fort, 
which  they  named  Carolina  in  honor  of  Charles  IX.,  king  of 
France.  The  fleet  departed.  This  little  party  of  thirty  were  left 
alone  on  the  continent.  From  the  North  Pole  to  Mexico,  they 
were  the  only  civilized  men.  Food  became  scarce.  They  were 
homesick.  They  tired  of  the  eternal  solitude  of  the  wilderness. 
They  built  a  rude  ship,  and  put  to  sea.  A  storm  shattered 
their  vessel.  Famine  overtook  them.  They  killed  and  ate  one 
of  their  number.  A  vessel  at  last  hove  in  sight,  and  took  them 
on  board  only  to  carry  them  captives  to  England.^  Thus 
perished  the  colony,  but  the  name  still  survives. 

Laudonniere,  (Lo-don-yiire)  two  years  after,  built  a  fort, 
also  called  Carolina,  on  the  River  St,  John.§  Soon  the  colonists 

*  Jean  Ribaut,  as  his  name  is  given  in  Coligny's  Ms.  and  his  own  journal  published 
in  1562,  was  an  excellent  seaman  and  a  staunch  Protestant. 

t  Coligny  (kO-le'n-ye')  was  an  admiral  of  France,  and  a  leader  of  the  Huguenots 
(Hfl-gS-nots),  as  the  Protestants  were  then  called.  He  had  conceived  a  plan  for 
founding  an  empire  in  America.  This  would  furnish  an  asylum  for  his  Huguenot 
friends,  and  at  the  same  time  advance  the  glory  of  the  French.  Thus  religion  and 
patriotism  combined  to  induce  him  to  send  out  colonists  to  the  new  world. 

J  It  is  said  that  Queen  Elizabeth  of  England,  while  conversing  with  these  captives, 
first  conceived  the  idea  of  colonizing  the  new  world. 

§  The  history  of  this  colony  records  an  amusing  story  concerning  the  long  life  of 
the  natives.  A  party  visited  a  chief  in  the  midst  of  the  wilderness  who  gravely  as- 
sured them  that  he  was  the  father  of  five  generations,  and  had  lived  250  years  ?  Op- 
posite him,  in  the  same  hut,  sat  his  father,  a  mere  skeleton,  whose  "  age  was  BO 
great  that  the  good  man  had  lost  his  sight,  and  could  speak  one  onely  word  but  with 
exceeding  great  paine."  The  credulous  Frenchmen  gazed  with  awe  on  this  wonder- 
ful pair,  and  congratulated  themselves  on  having  come  to  such  a  land,— a  land  where 
certainly  there  would  be  no  need  of  Ponce  de  Leon's  fabled  fountain. 


32         •  UNITED     STATES     HISTORY.  [1564. 

were  reduced  to  the  verge  of  starvation.*  They  were  on  the 
point  of  leaving,  when  they  were,  reinforced  by  Ribant:  The 
French  seemed  now  fairly  fixed  on  the  coast  of  Florida.  The 
Spaniards,  however,  claimed  the  country.  Melendez,  about 
this  time,  had  made  a  settlement  in  St.  Augustine.  He 
led  an  expedition  northward  through  the  wilderness,  and, 
in  the  midst  of  a  fearful  tempest,  attacked  Fort  Carolina. 
Almost  the  entire  population  were  massacred. 

Champlain  (Sham-plane),  at  the  beginning  of  the  seven- 
teenth century,  crossed  the  Atlantic  in  two  pigmy  barks— one 
of  tivelve,  the  other  of fifteen  tons — and  ascended  the  St.  Law- 
rence on  an  exploring  tour.  At  Hochelaga  all  was  changed. 
The  Indian  town  had  vanished.  Not  a  trace  remained  of  the 
savage  population  which  Cartier  saw  there  seventy  years  be- 
fore.f  Champlain  was  captivated  by  the  charms  of  the  new 
world,  and  longed  to  plant  a  French  empire  and  the  Catholic 
faith  amid  its  savage  wildness. 

De  Monts  (Mong)  received  a  grant  of  all  the  territory  be- 
tween the  fortieth  and  forty-sixth  parallels  of  latitude.^  This 
tracj:  was  termed  Acadia,  a  name  since  confined  to  New 
Brunswick  and  the  adjacent  islands.  In  company  with  Cham- 
plain,  he  established  a  colony  at  Port  Eoyal,  Nova  Scotia,  in 
1605.  This  was  the  fir  si  permanent  French  settlement  in 
America.  It  was  three  years  before  a  cabin  was  built  in 
Canada,  and  two  before  James  River  was  discovered. 
Champlain  returned  in  1608,  and  established  a  trading 

*  Their  sufferings  were  horrible.  Weak  ar-1  emaciated,  they  fed  themselves  with 
roots, -sorrel,  pounded  fish-bones,  and  even  roasted  snakes.  "Oftentimes,"  says 
Laudonniere,  "  our  poor  soldiers  were  constrained  to  give  away  the  very  shii-ts  from 
their  backs  to  get  one  fish.  If  at  any  time  they  shewed  unto  the  savages  the  exces- 
sive price  which  they  tooke,  these  villaines  would  answer  them  roughly :  If  thou 
make  so  great  account  of  thy  merchandise,  eat  it,  and  we  will  eat  our  fish :  then  fell 
they  out  a  laughing,  and  mocked  us  with  open  throat." 

t  This  fact  illustrates  the  frequent  and  rapid  changes  which  took  place  among  the 
aboriginal  tribes. 

J  Between  the  present  sites  of  Philadelphia  and  Montreal. 


1608.]  EPOCH    I.  33 

post  at  Quebec.  This  was  the  first  permanent  French  settle- 
ment in  Canada.  The  next  summer,  in  his  eager  desire  to 
explore  the  country,  he  joined  a  war  party  of  the  Hurons 
against  the  Iroquois,  or  Five  Nations  of  Central  New  York.* 
On  this  journey  he  discovered  that  beautiful  lake  which  bears 
his  name.  Amid  discouragements  which  would  have  over- 
whelmed a  less  determined  spirit,  Champlain  firmly  estab- 
lished the  authority  of  France  on  the  banks  of  the  St.  Law- 
rence. "  The  Father  of  New  France,"  as  he  has  been  termed, 
reposes  in  the  soil  he  won  to  civilization. 

The  Jesuit  Missionaries. — The  explorers  of  the  Missis- 
sippi valley  were  mostly  Jesuit  priests.  The  French  name? 
which  they  gave  still  linger  throughout  that  region.  Their 
hope  was  to  convert  the  Indians  to  the  Christian  faith.  They 
pushed  their  way  through  the  forest  with  unflagging  energy. 
They  crept  along  the  northern  shore  of  Lake  Ontario.  They 
traversed  the  Great  Lakes,  In  1668  they  founded  the  mission 
of  St.  Mary,  the  oldest  European  settlement  in  Michigan.  Many 
of  them,  were  murdered  by  the  savages ;  some  were  scalped ; 
some  were  burned  in  rosin-fire;  some  scalded  with  boiling 
water.  Yet,  as  soon  as  one  fell  out  of  the  ranks,  another 
sprang  forward  to  fill  the  post.  We  shall  name  but  two  of 
these  patient,  indefatigable  pioneers  of  New  France. 

Father  Marquette  (mar-ket),  hearing  from  some  wan- 
dering Indians  of  a  great  river  which  they  termed  the  "  Father 
of  Waters,"  determined  to  visit  it.  He  floated  in  a  birch- 
bark  canoe  down  the  Wisconsin  to  the  Mississippi  (1673),  and 
thence  to  the  mouth  of  the  Arkansas-! 

*  The  interference  of  Champlain  with  the  Indians  secured  the  inveterate  hostility 
of  the  Iroquois  tribes.  Not  long  after,  they  seized  the  missionaries  who  came  among 
them,  tortured  and  put  them  to  death.  This  cut  off  any  farther  explorations  toward 
the  south.  The  French,  therefore,  turned  their  attention  toward  the  west. 

t  Soon  after,  while  on  another  expedition,  he  went  ashore  for  the  purpose  of  quiet 
devotion.  After  waiting  long  for  his  return,  his  men,  seeking  him,  found  that  he  had 
died  while  at  prayer.  He  was  buried  near  the  mouth  of  the  Marquette.  Years  after, 


34  UNITED     STATES     HISTORY.  [1682. 

La  Salle  was  educated  as  a  Jesuit,  but  had  established  a 
trading  post  at  the  outlet  of  Lake  Ontario.  He  undertook 
various  expeditions  full  of  romantic  adventure.  Inflamed 
with  a  desire  to  find  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi,  he 
made  his  way  (1682)  to  the  Gulf  >f  Mexico.  He  named  the 
country  Louisiana,  in  honor  of  L(  ais  XIV.,  king  of  France. 

Results  of  French  Enterprise. — Before  the  close  of  the 
seventeenth  century,  the  French  had  explored  the  Great 
Lakes,  the  Fox,  Maumee,  Wabash,  Wisconsin  and  Illinois 
Eivers,  and  the  Mississippi  from  the  Falls  of  St.  Anthony  to 
the  Gulf.  They  had  traversed  a  region  including  what  is  now 
known  as  Louisiana,  Arkansas,  Mississippi,  Iowa,  Minnesota, 
Nebraska,  Kansas,  the  Canadas  and  Acadia.*  In  1688  it  had 
a  population  of  11,000. 


ENGLISH    EXPLORATIONS. 

We  have  seen  how  the  Cabots,  sailing  under  an  English 
flag,  discovered  the  American  continent,  exploring  its  coast 
from  Labrador  to  Albemarle  Sound.  Though  the  English 
claimed  the  northern  part  of  the  continent  by  right  of  this  dis- 
covery, yet  during  the  sixteenth  century  they  paid  little  atten- 
tion to  it.  At  the  close  of  that  period,  however,  maritime 
enterprise  was  awakened.  British  sailors  cruised  on  every 
sea.  Like  the  other  navigators  of  the  day,  they  were  eager 
to  discover  the  western  passage  ti  >  Asia. 

Frobisher  made  the  first  of  these  attempts  to  go  north  of 
America  to  Asia — Cabot's  plan  repeated.  He  pushed  through 

when  the  tempest  raged,  and  the  Indian  was  tossing  on  the  angry  waves,  he  would 
seek  to  still  the  storm  by  invoking  the  aid  of  the  pious  Marquette. 

*  As  we  shall  see  hereafter,  the  English  at  this  time  clung  to  a  narrow  strip  along 
the  Atlantic  coast. 


1576.J 


unknown  waters,  threading 
his  perilous  way  among  ice- 
bergs, until  (1576)  he  enter- 
ed Baffin's  Bay.  Here  he 
heaped  a  pile  of  stones,  de- 
clared the  country  an  ap- 
pendage of  the  British  crown, 
and  returned  home.* 

Sir  Francis  Drake  was 
a  famous  sailor.  In  one  of  his 
expeditions  on  the  Isthmus  of 
Panama,  he  climbed  to  the  top  of  a  lofty  tree,  whence  he  saw 
the  Pacific  Ocean.  Looking  out  on  its  broad  expanse,  he  re- 
solved to  "  sail  an  English  ship  on  those  seas."  Eeturning  to 
England  he  equipped  a  squadron.  He  sailed  through  the 
Straits  of  Magellan,  coasting  along  the  Pacific  shore  to  the 
southern  boundary  of  Oregon.  He  wintered  (1578-9)  in  San 


DRAKE   BEHOLDS   THE    PACIFIC. 


*  One  of  the  sailors  brought  back  a  stone  which  was  thought  to  contain  gold.  A 
fleet  of  fifteen  vessels  was  forthwith  equipped  for  this  new  El  Dorado.  The  north- 
west passage  to  Cathay  was  forgotten.  After  innumerable  perils  incident  to  Arctic 
regions,  the  ships  were  loaded  with  the  precious  ore  and  returned.  Unfortunately 
history  neglects  to  tell  us  what  became  of  the  cargo  ! 


36  UNITED     STATES     HISTORY.  [1579. 

Francisco  harbor,  returning  home  the  next  season  by  the  Cape 
of  Good  Hope.* 

Sir  Humphrey  Gilbert,  was  not  a  sailor,  but  he  had 
studied  the  accounts  of  American  discoveries,  and  concluded 
that  instead  of  random  expeditions  after  gold  and  spices,  com- 
panies should  be  sent  out  to  form  permanent  settlements, 
His  attempts  to  colonize  the  new  world,  however,  ended 
fatally.  Sailing  home  in  a  bark  of  only  ten  tons  burden,  in 
the  midst  of  a  fearful  storm  the  light  of  his  little  vessel  sud- 
denly disappeared.  Xeither  ship  nor  crew  wcro  ever  seen 
again. 

Sir  Walter  Raleighf  was  a  half-brother  of  Gilbert,  and 
adopted  his  views  of  American  colonization.  Being  a  great 
favorite  with  Queen  Elizabeth,  he  easily  obtained  from  her  a 
patent  of  an  extensive  territory,  which  was  named  Virginia,  in 
honor  of  Elizabeth,  the  Virgin  Queen. 

Raleigh's  first  attempt  to  plant  a  colony  was  on  Eoan- 
oke  Island.  The  settlers  made  no  endeavor  to  cultivate 
tne  soil.  They  spent  their  time  in  hunting  for  gold  and 
pearls.!  At  last  they  were  nearly  starved,  when  Drake,  hap- 

*  He  was  thus  the  first  Englishman  who  explored  the  Pacific  coast,  and  the  second 
European  who  circumnavigated  the  glohe. 

t  Raleigh  was  not  only  a  man  of  dauntless  courage,  but  he  also  added  to  a  hand- 
some person  much  learning  and  many  accomplishments.  Meeting  Queen  Elizabeth 
one  day  while  ehe  was  walking,  he  spread  his  mantle  over  a  wet  place  in  the  path 
for  her  to  tread  upon.  Sne  was  so  pleased  with  his  gallantry  that  she  admitted  him 
to  court,  and  he  continued  a  favorite  during  her  entire  lifetime.  Conversing  with 
her  one  day  npon  the  singular  properties  of  tobacco,  the  new  Indian  weed  which 
was  coming  into  use,  he  assured  her  that  he  could  tell  the  exact  weight  of  smoke  in 
any  quantity  consumed.  The  incredulous  queen  dared  him  to  a  wager.  Accepting 
it,  Raleigh  weighed  his  tobacco,  smoked  it,  and  then  carefully  weighing  the  ashes, 
stated  the  difference.  Paying  the  bet,  Elizabeth  remarked  that  she  "had  before 
heard  of  turning  gold  into  smoke,  but  he  was  the  first  who  had  turned  snioke  into 
gold."  This  incident  illustrates  the  friendly  relations  between  Raleigh  and  the  Queen, 
After  her  death,  he  was  accused  by  James  I.  of  treason,  was  imprisoned  for  many 
years,  and  at  the  age  of  65  was  executed.  On  the  scaffold  he  asked  for  the  axe,  and 
feeling  the  erlse.  observed,  with  a  smile,  "This  is  a  sharp  medicine,  but  a  sound 
cure  for  all  diseases."  Then  composedly  laying  his  head  on  the  block,  and  moving 
bis  lips  as  in  prayer,  he  gave  the  fatal  signal. 

t  'They  believed  the  Roanoke  river  had  Its  head  waters  in  golden  rocks.  v)y  the 


1586.]  EPOCH    I.  37 

pening  to  stop  there  on  oue  of  his  exploring  tours,  took  pity 
011  them,  and  carried  them  home. 

They  had  lived  long  enough  in  America  to  learn  the  use  of 
tobacco  and  the  potato.  These  they  introduced  into  Eng- 
land. The  custom  of  "drinking  tobacco,"  as  it  was  called, 
soon  became  the  fashion.* 

Raleigh'' s  Second  Attempt. — Ealeigh,  nndiscouraged  by  this 
failure,  still  clung  to  his  colonizing  scheme.  The  next  time 
he  sent  out  families,  instead  of  single  men.  John  White 
was  appointed  governor  of  the  city  of  Raleigh,  which  they 
were  to  found  on  Chesapeake  Bay.  A  granddaughter  of 
Governor  White,  born  soon  after  they  reached  Eoanoke  Island, 
was  the  first  English  child  born  in  America.  The  governor, 
on  returning  to  England  to  secure  supplies,  found  the  public 
attention  absorbed  by  the  threatened  attack  of  the  Spanish 
Armada.  It  was  three  years  before  he  was  able  to  come  back. 
His  family,  and  the  colony  he  had  left  alone  in  the  wilderness, 
had  perished.  How,  we  do  not  know.  The  imagination  can 
only  picture  what  history  has  failed  to  record. 

Ealeigh  had  now  spent  about  8200,000,  a  great  sum  for 
that  day,  on  this  American  colony ;  and,  disheartened,  trans- 
ferred his  patent  to  other  parties. 

Trading  Voyages. — Fortunately  for  American  interests, 
trading  ventures  were  more  profitable  than  colonizing  ones. 
English  vessels  frequented  the  Banks  of  Newfoundland,  and 
probably  occasionally  visited  Virginia.  Gosnold,f  a  master  of 

Pacific  Ocean.  The  walls  of  a  great  city  near  its  fountain  were  affirmed  to  be  thickly 
studded  with  pearls. 

*  An  amusing  story  is  told  of  Raleigh  while  he  was  learning  to  smoke.  On  enter- 
ing his  study  one  morning  to  bring  his  master  a  cup  of  ale,  his  servant  saw  a  cloud 
of  smoke  inning  from  Sir  Walter's  month.  Frantically  dashing  the  liquor  in  his 
face,  he  rushed  down  stairs  imploring  help,  for  his  master  would  soon  be  burnt  to 
ashes ! 

t  The  English  ships  were  at  that  time  accustomed  to  steer  southward  along  the 
coast  of  Spain,  Portugal,  and  Africa,  as  far  as  the  Canary  Islands,  then  they  followed 
the  track  of  Columbus  to  the  West  India  islands,  and  thence  along  the  coast  of  Florida 


3$  UNITED    STATES    HISTORY 

a  small  bark,  (1G02),  discovered  and  named  Cape  Cod,  Mar- 
tha's Vineyard,  and  other  neighboring  localities.  Loading  his 
vessel  with  sassafras-root,  which  was  then  highly  esteemed  as 
a  medicine,  he  returned  home  to  publish  the  most  favorable 
reports  of  the  region  he  had  visited.  Some  British  merchants 
accordingly  sent  out  the  next  year  a  couple  of  vessels  under 
Captain  Pring.  He  discovered  several  harbors  in  Maine,  and 
brought  back  his  ships  loaded  with  furs  and  sassafras. 

As  the  result  of  these  various  explorations,  many  felt  an 
earnest  desire  to  colonize  the  new  world.  James  I.  accordingly 
granted  the  vast  territory  of  Virginia,  as  it  was  called,  to  two 
companies,  the  London  and  the  Plymouth. 

The  London  Company,  whose  principal  men  resided  afc 
London,  had  the  tract  between  the  thirty-fourth  and  thirty- 
eighth  degrees  of  latitude.  This  was  called  South  Virginia. 
They  sent  out  a  -colony  in  1607  under  Captain  Xewport. 
He  made  at  Jamestown*  the  first  permanent  English  settle- 
ment in  the  United  States. 

The  Plymouth  Company,  whose  principal  menf  resided 
in  Plymouth,  had  the  tract  between  the  forty -first  and 
forty-fifth  degrees  of  latitude.  This  was  called  Xorth  Virginia. 

The  Charter  granted  to  these  companies  was  the  first- 
under  which  English  colonies  were  planted  in  the  United 
States.  It  is  therefore  worthy  of  careful  study^  It  contained 
no  idea  of  self-government.  The  people  were  not  to  have  the 

northward  to  the  point  they  wished  to  reach.  Navigators  knew  this  was  a  round- 
about  way,  but  they  were  all  afraid  to  try  the  northern  route  straight  across  the 
Atlantic.  Gosnold  made  the  voyage  direct  from  England  to  Massachusetts,  thus 
shortening  the  route  3.000  miles.  This  gave  a  great  impulse  to  colonization,  since  it 
was  in  effect  bringing  America  3,000  miles  nearer  England. 

*  The  river  was  called  James,  and  the  town  Jamestown,  in  honor  of  the  king  of 
England.  The  headlands  received  the  names  of  Cape  Henry  and  Cape  Charles  from 
the  king's  sons ;  and  the  deep  water  for  anchorage  "  which  pnt  the  emigrants  in 
good  comfort,''  gave  the  name  Point  Comfort. 

t  They  sent  out  a  colony  under  Captain  Popham  (Pop-am),  in  the  same  year  with 
the  London  Company.  He  settled  at  the  mouth  of  the  Kennebec.  but  the  entire  party 
returned  home  the  next  spring,  discouraged  by  the  severity  of  the  climate. 


1606.]  EPOCH    I.  39 

election  of  an  officer.  The  king  was  to  appoint  a  council 
which  was  to  reside  in  London,  and  have  general  control  of  all 
the  colonies ;  and  also  a  council  to  reside  in  each  colony,  and 
hare  control  of  its  local  affairs.  The  Church  of  England  was 
the  established  religion.  Moreover,  for  five  years,  all  the  in- 
dustry and  commerce  of  the  colonists  were  to  be  applied  to  a 
common  fund,  and  no  one  was  to  have  any  fruit  of  his  indi- 
vidual labor. 


DUTCH    EXPLORATIONS. 

During  all  this  time,  the  Dutch  manifested  no  interest  in 
the  new  world.  In  the  beginning  of  the  seventeenth  century, 
however,  Captain  Henry  Hudson,  an  English  navigator  in  the 
Dutch  service,  entered  the  harbor  of  2sew  York.  This  was 
the  first  European  visit  since  that  of  Verrazani.  Hudson, 
hoping  to  reach  the  Pacific  ocean,  afterward  ascended  the 
noble  river  which  bears  his  name  (1609). 

On  this  discover}',  the  Dutch  based  their  claim  to  the  region 
extending  from  the  Delaware  Eiver  to  Cape  Cod.  They  gave 
to  it  the  name  of  ISTew  Xetherland. 


EXTENT   OF   THESE  EXPLORATIONS. 

1.  The  Spaniards  confined   their  settlements  and  explora- 
tions to   the   West  Indies   and     he  adjacent  mainland,  and 
in  the  United  States  made  settlt  nents  only  in  Florida  and 
Xew  Mexico. 

2.  The  French  claimed  the  whole  of  New  France,  and  made 
their  first  settlements  in  Acadia  and  Canada. 

3.  The    English  explored    the  Atlantic  coast  at  various 


40  UNITED    STATES    HISTORY.  [1607. 

points,  .arid  claimed  this  vast  territory,  which  they  termed  Vir- 
ginia, having  made  their  first  settlement  at  Jamestown.* 

•1.  The  Dutch  laid  claim  to  Xew  Xetheiiand,  but  made 
no  settlement  till  1G13. 

The  Rival  Claims. — These  four  claims  overlapped!  eacn 
other,  and  necessarily  produced  much  confusion.  When  the 
first  few  settlements  were  separated  by  hundreds  of  miles  of 
savage  forests,  this  was  of  little  account.  But  as  the  settle- 
ments increased,  it  became  a  source  of  constant  strife,  and  was 
decided  principally  by  the  sword. 

Two  Centuries  of  Exploration  and  One  of  Settle- 
ment.— These  explorations  had  lasted  during  the  fifteenth 
and  sixteenth  centuries,  and  at  the  close  of  the  sixteenth,  the 
only  permanent  settlements  were  those  of  the  Spaniards  at  St. 
Augustine  and  Santa  Fe.  At  the  beginning  of  the  seven- 
teenth century,  permanent  settlements  multiplied.  They  were 
made  by 

The  FRENCH  at  Port  Royal,  JV.  S.,         in  1605; 

The  EXGLISII  at  Jamestown,  in  1601 ; 

The  FREXCH  at  Quebec,  in  1608 ; 

The  DUTCII  at  Xew  York,  in  161S ;\ 

The  ENGLISH  PURITANS  at  Plymouth,  in  1620. 

*  After  this  time,  the  English  is  the  only  nation  that  directly  influences  the  history 
of  the  United  States.  The  country  was  mainly  settled  by  emigrants  from  Great 
Britain,  and  all  the  colonies  in  the  next  epoch  became  dependencies  of  that  empire. 

t  It  is  noticeable  that  the  English  grants  all  extended  westward  to  the  Pacific 
ocean,  the  French  southward  from  the  St.  Lawrence  to  the  Gulf,  and  the  Spanish 
northward  to  the  Arctic  Ocean.  Isone  of  the  European  nations  had  any  idea  of  the 
immense  territory  they  were  donating. 

J  Here  lay  the  shas-rry  continent  from  Florida  to  the  Pole,  outstretched  in  savage 
plumber.  On  the  banks  of  James  river  was  a  nest  of  woebegone  Englishmen,  a 
handful  of  fur-traders  at  the  mouth  of  the  Hudson,  and  a  few  shivering  Frenchmen 
among  the  snowdrifts  of  Acaclia ;  while  amid  still  wilder  desolation  Champlain  upheld 
the  banner  of  France  over  the  icy  rock  of  Quebec.  These  were  the  advance  guard  of 
civilization,  the  messengers  of  promise  to  a  desert  continent.  Yet,  not  content  with 
inevitable  woes,  they  were  rent  by  petty  jealousies  and  miserable  quarrels,  while 
each  little  fragment  of  rival  nationalities,  just  able  to  keep  up  its  own  wretched 
existence  on  a  few  square  miles,  begrudged  to  all  the  rest  the  smallest  share  in  a 
domain  which  all  the  nations  of  Europe  could  not  have  sufficed  to  fill.— Pnrkman. 


EPOCH    I.  41 


Summary  of  the  History  of  the  First  JZpoch,  arranffed 
in  Chronological  Order. 

PAGE 

1492.  Columbus  discovered  the  New  World,  October  12,        .      23 

1497.  The  Cabots  discovered  Labrador,  July  3,        .        .        .25 

1498.  The  Cabots  explored  the  Atlantic  Coast,         ...      25 
South  America  was  discovered  by  Columbus,  August  10,      24 
Vasco  de  Gama  sailed  round  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope 

and  discovered  a  passage  to  India,       .... 

1512.  Ponce  de  Leon  discovered  Florida,  April  6,    .        .        .27 

1513.  Balboa  saw  the  Pacific  Ocean,  September  29,         .        .      27 
1519-21.  Cortez  conquered  Mexico,        .        .  ...      26 

1520.  Magellan  sailed  round  South  America,  discovered  the 

southwest  passage  and  circumnavigated  the  globe,     .      26 
1524.  Verrazani  explored  the  coast  of  North  America,    .  80 

1528.  Narvaez  explored  part  of  Florida, 27 

1534-35.  Cartier  discovered  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence  and  ascended 

the  river  to  Montreal, £0 

1539-41.  De  Soto  rambled  over  the  southern  States  and  in  1541 

discovered  Mississippi  River 27 

1540-42.  Cabrillo  explored  California  and  sailed  along  the  Pa- 
cific Coast,    .........       29 

1541-42.  Roberval  attempted  to  plant  a  colony  on  the  St.  Law- 
rence, but  failed,  , 30 

1562.  Ribaut  attempted  to  plant  a  Huguenot  colony  at  Port 

Royal,  but  failed, 31 

1564.  Laudonniere  attempted  to  plant  another  Huguenot  col- 

ony on  St.  John's  River.     It  was  destroyed  by  the 
Spaniards, 31 

1565.  Melendez  founded  a  colony  at  St.  Augustine,  Florida ; 

first  permanent  settlement  in  the  United  States,        .      29 
1576-7.  Frobisher  tried  to  find  a  northwest  passage ;  entered 
Baffin's  Bay,  and  twice  attempted  to  found  a  colony 
in  Labrador,  but  failed,        ...  34 

1578-80.  Drake  sailed  along  Pacific  Coast  to  Oregon ;  wintered 

in  San  Francisco,  and  circumnavigated  the  globe,      .      35 

1582.  Espejo  founded  Santa  Fe ;  second  oldest  town  in  the 

United  States, 29 

1583.  Gilbert  attempted  to  reach  the  continent,  but  was  lost 

at  sea, 36 

158b-7.  Raleigh  twice  attempted  to  plant  a  colony  in  Virginia, 

but  failed, 36 

1602.  Gosnold  discovered  Cape  Cod,  May  14, ..  .  38 


!-.i  UNITED    STATES    HISTORY.  [1605. 

PAGE 

1605.   De  Monts  established  a  colony  at  Port  Royal,  Xova 

Scotia ;  first  permanent  French  settlement  in  America,       32 

1607.  The  English  settled  Jamestown ;  first  permanent  Eng- 

lish settlement  in  America,  May  23,    .         .        .        .38 

1608.  Cliamplain  planted  a  colony  at  Quebec ;  first  permanent 

French  settlement  in  Canada,      .....       32 

1609.  Hudson  discovered  Hudson  Eiver, 39 

Champlain  discovered  Lake  Cliamplain,         ...       33 

1613.  Settlement  of  New  York  by  the  Dutch,  ....      39 
1620.  Puritans  settled  at  Plymouth ;  first  English  settlement 

in  Xew  England,  December  21, 40 


DEVELOPMENT  OF  TFjE  EN  JLISIj  COLONIES. 


Prom  1S07— the  Pounding  of  Jamestown, 

To      1775— the  Breaking  out  of  the  Revolution. 


HIS  Epoch  traces  the  early  history  of 
the  thirteen  colonies — Virginia,  Massa- 
-  chusetts,  Delaware,  Maryland,  New 
=  Jersey,  Connecticut,  Pennsylvania, 
South  Carolina,  North  Carolina,  New 
J  York,  Ehode  Island,  New  Hampshire, 
[  and  Georgia.  The  Cavaliers  land  in 
|  Virginia,  and  the  Puritans  hi  Massa- 
chusetts. Immigration  increases  and 
the  settlements  multiply  along  the 
whole  coast.  The  colonies,  however,  still  have  little  history  in 
common.  Each  by  itself  struggles  with  the  wilderness,  con- 
tends with  the  Indian,  and  develops  the  principles  of  liberty. 

Questions  on  Ike  Geoff raphy  of  the  Second  Epoch  — Locate  Jamestown. 
Salem.  Charlestown.  Boston.  Cambridge,  t?  vanzey.  Providence.  Bristol. 
Hadley.  Hatfleld.  Portsmouth.  Dover.  Hartfi  d.  Wethersfleld.  New  Haven. 
Windsor.  Saybrook.  New  York.  Albany.  Schenectady.  Elizabethtown. 
Wilmington.  Philadelphia.  St.  Mary's.  Edenton.  Charleston.  Savannah. 
Haverhill.  Deerfield.  St.  Augustine.  Quebec.  Louisburg. 

Locate  Fort  Venango.  Oswego.  Presque  Isle.  Fort  Le  Boeuf.  Crown  Point 
Fort  Ticonderoga.  Fort  Niagara.  Fort  duQuesne.  Fort  William  Henry.  Fort 
Edward. 

Describe  the  Ohio  River.  Monongahela  River.  French  Creek.  Chowan  River. 
Ashley  River.  Cooper  River.  River  St.  John.  Chickahominy  River.  Potomac 
River.  James  River.  Hudson  River.  Connecticut  River.  Mohawk  River.  Dela- 
ware River.  Keanebec  River.  Penobscot  River.  Mystic  River.  Miami  River.  St. 
Lawrence  River.  Blackstone  River. 

Locate  Manhattan  Island.  AUeghany  Mountains.  Cape  Breton.  Massachusetts 
Bay.  Albemarle  Sound.  Chesapeake  Bay. 


4(3  UNITED     STATES     HISTORY. 


VIRGINIA. 

The  Character  of  the  colonists  was  poorly  adapted  to  en- 
dure the  hardships  incident  to  a  settlement  in  a  new  coun- 
try. They  were  mostly  gentlemen  by  birth,  unused  to  labor. 
They  had  no  families,  and  came  out  in  search  of  wealth  or 
adventure,  expecting,  when  rich,  to  return  to  England. 
The  climate  was  unhealthy,  and  before  the  first  autumn 
half  of  their  number  had  perished. 

John  Smith*  alone  saved  the  colony  from  ruin.  First  as 
member  of  the  council,  and  afterward  as  president,  his  services 
were  invaluable.  He  persuaded  the  settlers  to  erect  a  fort  and 
build  log  huts  for  the  winter.  He  made  long  voyages.,  care- 
fully exploring  Chesapeake  Bay,  securing  the  friendship  of  the 
Indians,  and  bringing  back  boat-loads  of  supplies.  He  trained 

*  Captain  John  Smith  was  born  to  adventure.  While  yet  a  boy  he  left  his  home  in 
Lincolnshire,  England,  to  engage  in  Holland  wars.  After  four  years'  service  be  built 
him  a  lodge  of  boughs  in  a  forest,  where  for  awhile  he  hunted,  rode,  and  studied 
military  tactics.  Nest  we  hear  of  him  on  his  way  to  fight  the  Turks.  Before  reach- 
ing France  he  is  robbed,  and  only  escapes  death  from  want  by  begging  alms.  Em- 
barking for  Italy,  a  fearful  storm  arises,  and  he,  being  a  heretic,  is  deemed  the  cause, 
and  is  thrown  overboard.  But  he  is  not  to  die  yet.  He  swims  to  land.  Arrived  at 
his  destination,  three  Turks,  to  "please  the  ladies,"  having  dared  to  combat  as 
many  Christians,  Smith  undertakes  the  job  and  kills  them  all.  Taken  prisoner  in 
battle,  he  is  sold  as  a  slave.  He  is  stripped,  head  and  beard  shaved,  and  an  iron  ring 
put  on  his  neck.  Killing  his  master  at  an  opportune  moment,  he  hides  the  body, 
arrays  himself  in  its  clothing,  and  mounting  a  horse,  spurs  his  way  to  a  Russian 
camp.  Arrived  in  England,  he  embarks  for  the  new  world.  The  leaders  being  jeal- 
ous of  him.  be  lands  with  the  colony  as  a  prisoner,  but  soon  becomes  its  president. 
His  spirited  fortunes  do  not  desert  him.  Now  a  certain  fish  inflicts  a  dangerous 
wound.  His  grave  is  dug,  but  he  is  not  ready.  He  finds  an  antidote  and  lives  to  eat 
part  of  the  same  fish  with  great  relish.  Now  he  is  poisoned,  but  overcomes  the  dose 
and  severely  beats  the  poisoner.  Then  his  party  of  fifteen  is  attacked  by  Ope- 
chancanough  (Op-e-kan-ka-no),  brother  and  successor  of  Powhatan,  with  seven 
hundred  warriors.  Smith  drags  the  old  chief  by  his  long  hair  into  the  midst  of  the 
Indian  braves,  who,  tmazed  at  such  audacity,  immediately  surrender  He  is  shock 
ingly  burned  on  a  boat  by  the  explosion  of  a  basr  of  powder  at  his  side  :  leapine  into 
the  water  he  barely  escapes  death  by  drowning.  These  and  many  other  wonderful 
exploits  he  published  in  a  book  after  returning  to  England.  Many  of  them  are 
doubtless  imaginary.  Even  that  relating  to  Pocahontas  ha?  been  discredited.  How- 
ever, the  value  of  his  service  to  the  Virginian  colony  is  unquestioned.  Of  his  last 
year*  we  know  little.  He  died  in  London,  1031. 


EPOCH     11. 


the  tender  gentlemen  till  they  learned  how  to  swing  the  axe 
in  the  forest.  He  declared  that  "  he  who  would  not  work, 
might  not  eat."  He  taught  them  that  industry  and  self-reli- 
ance are  the  surest  guarantees  to  fortune. 

Smith's  Adventures  were  of  the  most  romantic  character. 
In  one  of  his  expeditions  up  the  Chickahominy*  he  was  taken 


SMITH    SHOWING   HIS   COMPASS   TO   THE   INDIANS. 

prisoner  by  the  Indians.  With  singular  coolness  he  imme- 
diately attempted  to  interest  his  captors  by  explaining  the  use 
of  his  pocket  compass  and  the  motions  of  the  moon  and  stars. 
At  last  they  permitted  him  to  write  a  letter  to  Jamestown. 
When  they  found  that  this  informed  his  friends  of  his  misfor- 

*  This  was  undertaken  by  the  express  order  of  the  company,  to  seek  a  passage  to 
the  Pacific  Ocean,  and  thus  to  India.  Captain  Newport,  before  his  return  to  England, 
made  a  trip  up  the  James  River  for  the  same  purpose,  but  on  reaching  the  falls  con- 
cluded that  the  way  to  India  did  not  lie  in  that  direction.  These  attempts,  which 
seem  so  preposterous  to  us  now,  show  what  inadequate  ideas  then  prevailed  con- 
cerning the  size  of  this  continent. 


48  UNITED    STATES    II I  S  T  O  li  V  .  [1607. 

tune,  they  were  filled  with  astonishment.*  They  could  not 
understand  by  what  magical  art  he  could  make  a  few  marks 
on  paper  express  his  thoughts.  They  considered  him  a  being 
of  a  superior  order,  and  treated  him  with  the  utmost  respect, 
He  was  carried  from  one  tribe  to  another,  f  and  at  last  brought 
to  the  great  chief,  Powhatan,  by  whom  he  was  condemned  to 
die.  His  head  was  laid  on  a  stone,  and  the  huge  war  club  of 
the  Indian  executioner  was  -raised  to  strike  the  fatal  blow. 
Suddenly  Pocahontas,  the  young  daughter  of  the  chief,  who 
had  already  become  attached  to  the  prisoner,  threw  herself 
upon  his  neck  and  pleaded  for  his  pardon.  The  favorite  of 
the  tribe  was  given  her  desire.  Smith  was  released,  and  soon 
sent  home  with  promises  of  friendship.  His  little  protector 
was  often  thereafter  to  be  seen  going  to  Jamestown  with  bas- 
kets of  corn  for  the  white  men. 

A  Second  Charter  was  now  obtained  by  the  company 
(1609).  This  vested  the  authority  in  a  governor  instead  of  a 
local  council.  The  colonists  were  not  consulted  with  regard 
to  the  change,  nor  did  the  charter  guarantee  to  them  any 
rights. 

The  "Starving  Time." — Unfortunately,  Smith  was  dis- 
abled by  a  severe  wound  and  compelled  to  return  to  England. 
His  influence  being  removed,  the  settlers  became  a  prey  to 
disease  and  famine.  Some  were  killed  by  the  Indians.  Some, 
in  their  despair,  seized  a  boat  and  became  pirates.  The  winter 
of  1G09-10  was  long  known  as  the  Starving  Time.  In  six 
months  they  Avere  reduced  from  490  to  GO.  At  last  they  de- 
termined to  flee  from  the  wretched  place.  "  None  dropped  a 
tear,  for  none  had  enjoyed  one  day  of  happiness."  The  next 

*  As  another  evidence  of  the  simplicity  of  the  Indians,  it  is  said  that  having  seized 
a  quantity  of  gunpowder  belonging  to  the  colonists  they  planted  it  for  seed,  expect- 
ing  to  reap  a  full  harvest  of  ammunition  for  the  next  contest. 

t  His  route  was  over  the  peninsula,  since  rendered  so  famous  by  MeClellan's 
campaign. 


1G10.J  EPOCH    II.  49 

morning,  as  they  slowly  moved  down  with  the  tide,  to  their 
great  joy  they  met  their  new  governor,  Lord  Delaware,  with 
abundant  supplies  and  a  company  of  emigrants.  All  returned 
to  the  homes  they  had  just  deserted,  and  Jamestown  colony 
was  once  more  rescued  from  ruin. 

The  Third  Charter. — Up  to  this  ti-me  the  colony  had 
proved  a  failure  and  was  publicly  ridiculed  in  London.  To 
quiet  the  outcry  the  charter  was  changed  (1612).  The  coun- 
cil in  London  was  abolished,  and  the  stockholders  were  given 
power  to  regulate  the  affairs  of  the  company  themselves. 

The  Marriage  of  Pocahontas. — The  little  Indian  girl 
had  now  (1613)  grown  to  womanhood.  John  Kolfe,  a  young 
English  planter,  had  won  her  love  and  wished  to  marry  her. 
In  the  little  church  at  Jamestown,  rough  almost  as  an  Indian's 
wigwam,  she  received  Christian  baptism,  and,  in  broken  Eng- 
lish, stammered  the  marriage  vows  according  to  the  service  of 
the  Church  of  England. 

Three  years  after,  with  her  husband,  she  visited  London. 
The  childlike  simplicity  and  winning  grace  of  Lady  Eebecca, 
as  she  was  called,  attracted  universal  admiration.  She  was 
introduced  at  court  and  received  every  mark  of  attention.  As 
she  was  about  to  return  to  her  native  land  with  her  husband 
and  infant  son,*  she  suddenly  died. 

First  Colonial  Assembly. — Governor  Yeardley  (yard'-le) 
believed  that  the  colonists  should  have  "  a  hande  in  the  gov- 
erning of  themselves."  He  accordingly  called  at  Jamestown, 
June  28,  1619,  the  first  legislative  body  that  ever  assembled  in 
America.  It  consisted  of  the  governor,  council,  and  deputies, 
or  "  burgesses,"  as  they  were  called,  chosen  from  the  various 
plantations,  or  "  boroughs."  Its  laws  had  to  be  ratified  by  the 


*  This  son  became  a  man  of  wealth  and  distinction.  Many  of  the  leading  families 
of  Virginia  have  been  proud  to  say  that  the  blood  of  Pocahontas  coursed  through 
their  veins. 

3 


50  UNITED    STATES    II  I  S  T  0  It  Y .  [1019. 

company  in  England,  but,  in  turn,  the  orders  from  London 
were  not  binding  unless  ratified  by  the  colonial  assembly. 
These  privileges  were  afterward  (1621)  embodied  in  a  written 
constitution — the  first  of  the  kind  in  America.  A  mea:ure 
of  freedom  was  thus  granted  the  young  colony,  and  James- 
town became  a  nursery  of  liberty. 

Prosperity  of  the  Colony. — The  old  famine  troubles 
had  now  all  passed.  The  attempt  to  work  in  common  had 
been  given  up,  and  ea?h  man  tilled  his  own  land  and  had  the 
avails.  Tobacco  was  an  article  of  export.  The  colonists 
raised  it  so  eagerly  that  at  one  time  even  the  streets  of  James- 
town were  planted  with  it.  Gold  hunting  had  ceased,*  and  many 
of  the  former  servants  of  the  company  owned  plantations.  Set- 
tlements lined  both  banks  of  the  James  for  140  miles.  Best 
of  all,  young  women  of  good  character  were  brought  over  by 
the  company.  These  sold  readily  as  wives  to  the  settlers. 
The  price  was  fixed  at  t  je  cost  of  the  passage — 100  pounds  of 
tobacco — but  they  were  in  such  demand  that  it  soon  went  up 
to  150  pounds.  Domestic  ties  were  formed.  The  colonists, 
having  homes,  now  became  Virginians.  All  freemen  had  the 
right  to  vote.  Religious  toleration  was  enjoyed.  Virginia 
became  almost  an  independent  republic. 

Slavery  Introduced. — In  1620f  the  captain  of  a  Dutch 
trading  vessel  sold  to  the  colonists  twenty  negroes.^  They 
were  employed  in  cultivating  tobacco.  As  their  labor  was 
found  profitable,  larger  numbers  were  afterward  imported. 

Indian.  Troubles. — After  the  death  of  Powhatan,  the  firm 


*  In  the  early  life  of  this  colony,  particles  of  mica  glittering  in  the  brook  were 
mistaken  for  gold  dust.  "  There  was  no  talk,  no  hope,  hnt  dig  gold,  wash  gold, 
refine  gold,  load  gold."  Newport  carried  to  England  a  shipload  of  the  worthless 
stuff.  Smith  remonstrated  in  vain  against  this  folly. 

t  Some  authorities  state  that  this  occurred  in  1619,  or  the  year  before  the  Pilgrims 
landed  in  Massachusetts.  (See  p.  53.) 

J  From  this  circumstance,  small  as  it  seemed  at  the  time,  the  most  momentous 
consequences  ensued,— consequences  that,  long  after,  rent  the  republic  with  strife, 
lud  moistened  it  with  blood. 


1622.]  EPOCH    II.  51 

friend  of  the  English,  the  Indians  formed  a  plan  for  the  exter- 
mination of  the  colony.  So  secretly  was  this  managed  that  on 
the  very  morning  of  the  massacre  (March  22,  1622)  they 
visited  the  houses  and  sat  at  the  tables  of  those  whose  murder 
they  were  plotting.  At  a  preconcerted  moment  they  attacked 
the  colonists  at  all  their  widely  scattered  plantations.  Over 
three  hundred  men,  women  and  children  fell  at  one  stroke. 
Fortunately,  a  converted  Indian  had  informed  a  friend  whom 
he  wished  to  save,  and  thus  Jamestown  and  the  settlements 
near  by  were  prepared.  A  merciless  war  ensued,  during  which 
the  colony  was  reduced  from  4,000  to  2,500,  but  the  Indians 
were  so  severely  punished  that  they  remained  quiet  for  twenty 
years.  Then  came  a  fearful  massacre  of  five  hundred  set- 
tlers (1644),  which  ended  in  the  natives  being  expelled  from 
the  region. 

Virginia  a  Royal  Province. — The  majority  of  the  stock- 
holders gladly  granted  to  the  infant  colony  those  rights  for  which 
they  were  struggling  at  home.  King  James,  becoming  jealous 
of  the  company  because  of  its  patriotic  sentiments,  took  away 
the  charter  (1624)  and  made  Virginia  a  royal  province.  Hence- 
forth the  king  appointed  the  governor  and  council,  though 
the  colony  still  retained  its  assembly. 

A  Period  of  Oppression. — The  British  Parliament  en- 
forced the  Navigation  Act  (1660),  which  ordered  that  the  com- 
merce of  the  colony  should  be  carried  on  in  English  vessels,  and 
that  their  tobacco  should  be  shipped  to  England.  Besides  this, 
their  own  assembly  was  composed  mainly  of  royalists,  who 
levied  exorbitant  taxes,  refused  to  go  out  of  office  when  their 
term  had  expired,  fixed  their  own  salary  at  250  pounds  of 
tobacco  per  day,  restricted  the  right  of  voting  to  "freeholders 
and  housekeepers,"  and  imposed  on  Quakers  a  monthly  fine 
of  one  hundred  dollars  for  absence  from  worship  in  the 


52  UXITEDSTATESHISTOKY.  [1G60. 

English  Church.  Two  parties*  gradually  sprung  up  in  their 
midst ;  one,  the  aristocratic  party,  was  composed  of  the 
rich  planters  and  the  officeholders  in  the  colony;  the  other 
'comprised  the  liberty-loving  portion  of  the  people  who  felt 
themselves  deprived  of  their  political  rights. 

Bacon's  Rebellion. — These  difficulties  came  to  a  crisis  in 
1676,  when  Governor  Berkeley  failed  to  sufficiently  provide  for 
the  defence  of  the  settlements  against  the  Indians.  At  this 
juncture,  Nathaniel  Bacon,  a  patriotic  young  lawyer,  rallied  a 
company,  defeated  the  Indians,  and  then  turned  to  meet  the 
governor,  who  had  denounced  him  as  a  traitor.  During  the 
contest  which  followed,  Berkeley  was  driven  out  of  Jamestown 
and  the  village  itself  hurned.f  In  the  midst  of  this  success, 
Bacon  died.J  No  leader  could  he  found  worthy  to  take  his 
place,  and  the  people  dispersed.  Berkeley  revenged  himself 
with  terriHe  severity.  "  The  old  fool,"  said  Charles  II.,  on 


*  It  is  a  curious  feet,  iflustrating  the  sentiments  of  the  authorities  in  Virginia  and 
Massachusetts  at  that  day,  that  the  royalists  who  fled  from  England  in  Cromwell's 
time  took  refuge  in  ^7irginia,  and  were  there  most  hospitably  entertained,  while  the 
"  regicides,"  as  they  were  called,  i.  e.,  the  judges  who  had  condemned  Charles  I., fled 
to  Massachusetts  and  were  there  concealed  from  their  pursuers. 

t  Going  up  the  James  river,  just  before  reaching  City  Point,  one  sees  on  the  right- 
hand  bank  the  ruins  of  an  old  church.  The  crumbling  tower,  with  its  arched  door- 
ways, is  almost  hidden  by  the  profusion  of  shrubbery  which  surrounds  it.  Its  moss- 
covered  walls,  entwined  with  ivy  planted  by  hands  which,  generations  since,  have 
crumbled  into  dust,  look  desolately  out  upon  the  old  churchyard  at  its  back.  Here, 
pushing  aside  the  rank  vines  and  tangled  bushes  which  conceal  them,  one  finds  a  few 
weather-beaten  tombstones.  A  huge  bnttonwood  tree,  taking  root  below,  has  burst 
apart  one  of  these  old  slabs,  and  now,  with  its  many  fellows,  spreads  its  lofty 
branches  high  over  the  solitary  dead.— And  this  is  all  that  remains  of  that  Jamestown 
whose  struggles  we  have  here  recorded. 

i  This  happened  a  century  before  the  Declaration  of  Independence.  It  ended  a 
rebellion  which  seemed  to  promise  the  advancement  of  civil  liberty.  The  governor 
who  succeeded  ruled  with  arbitrary  authority  and  greedy  rapacity.  Yet  these  agita- 
tions served  to  sunder  the  ties  which  bound  the  colony  to  the  mother  country,  and  to 
implant  the  love  of  liberty.  "  On  the  spot  where  Drnmmond.  one  of  Bacon'?  follow- 
ers, was  martyred,  Cornwallis  surrendered  to  Washington  "  In  spite  of  all  evil  in- 
fluences, the  colony  increased  rapidly  in  population  and  wealth.  In  1C88  it  num- 
bered 60,000,  and  exported  25,000  hogsheads  of  tobacco,  on  which  the  English  gov- 
ernment levied  a  duty  of  nearly  $700,000.  The  pioneer  settlers  had  given  place  to 
a  hardier  and  better  class  of  men — men  who  loved  freedom  and  sought  to  establish 
It  on  a  firm  basis. 


i620.]  EPOCH    II.  53 

hearing  of  the  facts,  "has  taken  more  lives  in  that  naked 
country  than  I  did  for  the  murder  of  my  father." 


MASSACHUSETTS. 

The  Plymouth  Company  attempted  several  times  to 
explore  and  settle  North  Virginia,  but  Captain  John  Smith, 
already  so  famous  in  Southern  Virginia,  made  the  only  success- 
ful voyage.  He  examined  the  coast  from  Penobscot  to  Cape 
Cod,  drew  a  map  of  it,  and  called  the  country  NEW  ENGLAND. 
The  company,  stirred  to  more  vigorous  action  by  Smith's 
glowing  accounts,  obtained  a  new  patent  (1620)  under  the 
name  of  the  COUNCIL  OF  NEW  ENGLAND.  This  authorized 
them  to  make  settlements  and  laws,  and  to  carry0 on  a  trade 
over  a  vast  region  of  territory  reaching  from  the  Atlantic  to 
the  Pacific,  and  comprising  over  a  million  square  miles.  New 
England,  however,  was  destined  to  be  settled  with  no  consent 
of  king  or  council. 

PLYMOUTH   COLONY. 

Settlement — Landing  of  the  Pilgrims* — One  stormy 
day  in  December,  1620,  the  Mayflower,  with  a  band  of  a  hun- 

*  They  were  called  Pilgrims  because  of  their  wanderings.  They  belonged  to  a  body 
of  Christians  in  England  who  had  Buffered  severe  persecutions  for  their  religious 
opinions. 

About  seventy  years  before  this  time  the  state  religion  of  England  had  been 
changed  from  Catholic  to  Protestant ;  but  a  large  number  of  the  clergy  and  people 
•were  dissatisfied  with  what  they  thought  to  be  a  half-way  policy  on  the  part  of  the 
new  church,  and  called  for  a  more  complete  purification  from  old  observances  and 
doctrines.  For  this,  they  were  called  Puritans. 

Instead  of  complying  with  their  wishes,  the  government  passed  laws  making  it  a 
crime  for  any  clergyman  to  conduct  worship  in  any  other  than  the  prescribed  man- 
ner. Those  who  would  not  conform  to  these  requirements  were  deprived  of  their 
salaries  and  shut  out  from  the  churches.  Being  thus  forced  to  worship  elsewhere, 
the  non-conformists  met  in  houses,  barns,  and  other  retreats.  This  brought  upon 
them  increased  persecution.  Many  were  imprisoned  and  some  executed.  Finally 


54  UNITED     STATE?     HISTORY.  [1020 

dred  pilgrims,  came  to  anchor  in  Cape  Cod  harbor.  The 
little  company,  gathering  in  the  cabin,  drew  up  a  compact,  in 
which  they  agreed  to  enact  just  and  equal  laws,  which  all 
should  obey.  One  of  their  exploring  parties  landed  at  Ply- 
mouth,* as  it  was  called  on  Smith's  chart,  December  21.f 
Finding  the  location  suitable  for  a  settlement,  they  all  came 
ashore,  and  amid  a  storm  of  snow  and  sleet  commenced  build- 
ing their  rude  huts. 

The  Character  of  the  Puritan  settlers  was  weh1  suited  to 
the  rugged,  stormy  land  which  they  sought  to  subdue. 
They  had  come  into  the  wilderness  with  their  families  in 
search  of  a  home  where  they  could  educate  their  children 
and  worship  God  as  they  pleased.  They  were  earnest,  sober- 
minded  men,  actuated  in  all  things  by  deep  religious  prin- 
ciple, and  never  disloyal  to  their  convictions  of  duty. 

Their  Sufferings  during  the  winter  were  severe.  At  one 
tune  there  were  only  seven  well  persons  to  take  care  of  the 
sick.  More  than  half  their  number  died.  When  spring  came 
there  were  many  graves,  yet  not  one  of  the  company  thought 
of  returning  to  England. 

they  began  to  form  separate  churches,  each  choosing  its  own  pastor.  From  this, 
they  were  called  Separatists  and  Independents. 

One  of  these  little  churches  was  established  in  the  village  of  Scrooby.  in 
the  east  of  England.  Not  being  allowed  to  worship  in  peace,  in  1608  they  fled 
to  Holland,  where  they  lived  twelve  years.  But  evil  influences  still  surrounded 
their  children,  and  they  lorged  for  a  land  where  they  might  worship  God  in  their 
own  way  and  save  their  families  from  worldly  follies.  America  offered  such  a  home. 
They  came,  resolved  to  brave  and  endure  every  danger  and  hardship,  trusting  to  God 
to  shape  their  destinies. 

*  The  little  shallop  sent  from  the  Mayflower  to  reconnoitre  before  Ending,  after 
losing  rudder,  mast,  and  sail,  brings  to  in  a  furious  storm  of  rain  and  sleet  on  Satur- 
day night.  Morning  dawns.  Time  is  precious.  Their  companions  wait  in  suspense. 
The  Sabbath,  however,  must  be  observed.  Cold  and  wet  and  weak,  with  their  clothes 
>ozen  stiff  with  the  spray  of  the  sea,  they  carefully  dismiss  all  earthly  thoughts,  and 
spend  the  time  in  sacred  devotion.  We  need  not  wonder  that  the  influence  of  such  a 
people  has  been  felt  throughout  the  land.  The  day,  December  21,  and  the  rock, 
"  Forefathers'  Rock,"  on  which  they  first  stepped,  have  been  held  by  posterity  in 
grateful  remembrance. 

tThis  was  December  11,  Old  Styk.  In  1752  the  British  Parliament  retrenched 
eleven  days  in  September,  making  the  3d  of  that  month  pass  for  the  14th.  This  was 
done  in  order  to  correct  an  error  growing  out  of  the  imperfect  calendar  which  wa* 
then  used.  Historians,  when  mentioning  dates  of  events  prior  to  that  time,  give 
them  sometimes  Old  Style  and  sometimes  New  S^yle. 


1621J 


EPOCH    II. 


55 


The  Indians,  fortunately,  did  not  disturb  them.  A.  pesti- 
lence had  destroyed  the  tribe  inhabiting  the  place  where  they 
landed.  They  were  startled,  however,  one  day  in  early  spring 
by  a  voice  in  their  village  crying  in  broken  English,  "  Wel- 
come, Englishmen."  It  was  the  salutation  of  Sam'-o-set,  an 
Indian  whose  chief,  Mas-sa-soit,  soon  after  visited  them.  The 
treaty  then  made  lasted  for  fifty  years.  Ca-non'-i-cus,  a  Nar- 
raganset  chief,  once  sent  a  bundle  of  arrows,  wrapped  in  a  rat- 
tlesnake skin,  as  a  token  of  defiance.  Governor  Bradford  re- 
turned the  skin  filled  with  powder  and  shot.  This  signifi- 
cant hint  was  effectual. 

The  Progress  of  the  Colony  was  slow  indeed.  The 
harvest  proved  a  failure.  At  one  time  the  colonists  had  only 
a  pint  of  corn,,  which  being  divided,  gave  them  five  kernels 


56  UNITED    STATES    HISTORY.  [1623 

apiece.  Oftentimes  clams  were  their  only  food.*  After  four 
years  they  numbered  only  184.  The  plan  of  "working  in  com- 
mon haying  failed  here  as  at  Jamestown,  land  was  assigned  to 
each  settler.  Abundance  ensued.  The  colony  was  never 
organized  by  royal  charter ;  therefore  they  elected  their  own 
governor,  and  made  their  own  laws.  It  was  ten  years  after 
their  coming  before  they  obtained  from  the  Council  for 
New  England  a  grant  of  the  land  which  they  occupied. 


MASSACHUSETTS    BAY    COLONY. 

Settlement. — John  Endicott  and  five  associates  having 
obtained  a  grant  of  land  about  Massachusetts  Bay,  also  secured 
(1629)  a  royal  charter  giving  authority  to  make  laws  and 
govern  the  territory.  The  same  year  this  company  transferred 
all  then-  rights  to  the  colony.  It  was  a  most  popular  measure, 
and  many  prominent  Puritan  families  nocked  to  this  land 
of  liberty.  Some  gathered  around  Governor  Endicott,  who 
had  already  started  Salem  and  Charlestown,  some  established 
colonies  at  Dorchester  and  Watertown,  and  one  thousand  un- 
der Governor  Winthrop  founded  Boston  (1630). 

Religious  Disturbances. — The  people  of  Massachusetts 
Bay  were  Puritans,  but  not  Separatists,  in  England.  Having 
come  to  America  to  establish  a  Puritan  church,  they  were 
unwilling  to  receive  persons  holding  opinions  differing  from 
their  own,  lest  their  purpose  should  be  defeated.  They  ac- 
cordingly sent  back  to  England  those  who  persisted  in  using 
the  forms  of  the  Established  Church,  and  allowed  only  mem- 
bers of  their  own  church  to  vote  in  civil  affairs. 

Roger  Williams,  an  eloquent  and  pious  young  minister, 
taught  that  each  person  should  think  for  himself  in  all  re- 

*  As  an  illustration  of  their  pious  content,  it  is  said  that  at  a  social  dinner  consist- 
ing only  of  clams,  the  devout  host  returned  thanks  to  God  who  "  had  given  them  to 
suck  the  abundance  of  the  seas,  and  of  the  treasures  hid  in  the  sands." 


1635.J  EPOCH     II.  57 

ligious  matters,  and  be  responsible  to  his  own  conscience 
alone.  He  declared  that  the  magistrates  had,  therefore,  no 
right  to  punish  blasphemy,  perjury,  or  Sabbath-breaking. 
The  clergy  and  magistrates  were  alarmed  at  what  they  con- 
sidered a  doctrine  dangerous  to  the  peace  of  the  colony,  and 
he  was  ordered  (1635)  to  be  sent  to  England.  It  was  the 
depth  of  winter,  yet  he  fled  to  the  forest  and  found  refuge 
among  the  Indians.  The  next  year,  Canonicus,  the  Narra- 
ganset  sachem,  gave  him  land  to  found  a  settlement,  which 
he  gratefully  named  Providence. 

Mrs.  Anne  Htttchinson,  during  the  same  year,  aroused 
most  violent  and  bitter  controversy.  She  claimed  to  be 
favored  with  special  revelations  of  God's  will  These  she 
expounded  to  crowded  congregations  of  women,  greatly  to 
the  scandal  of  the  clergy  and  people.  Finally  she  also  was 
banished. 

The  Quakers,  about  twenty  years  after  these  summary 
measures,  created  fresh  trouble  by  their  peculiar  views.  They 
were  fined,  whipped,  imprisoned,  and  sent  out  of  the  colony. 
Yot  they  constantly  returned,  glorying  in  their  sufferings.  At 
last  four  were  executed.  The  people  beginning  to  consider 
them  as  martyrs,  the  persecution  gradually  relaxed. 

A  Union  of  the  Colonies  of  Massachusetts  Bay,  Ply- 
mouth, New  Haven,  and  Connecticut,  was  formed  (1643) 
under  the  title  of  THE  UNITED  COLONIES  OF  NEW  EXG- 
LAND.  This  was  a  famous  league  in  colonial  times.  The 
object  was  a  common  protection  against  the  Indians  and  the 
encroachments  of  the  Dutch  and  French  settlers. 

King  Philip's  "War.— During  the  life  of  Massasoit, 
Plymouth  enjoyed  peace  with  the  Indians,  as  did  Jamestown 
during  that  of  Powhatan.  After  Massasoif  s  death,  his  son, 
Philip,  brooded  with  jealous  eye  over  the  encroachments  of 


58  UNITED    STATES    HISTORY.  [1675 

the  whites.*  "With  profound  sagacity  he  planned  a  confed- 
eration of  the  Indian  tribes  against  the  intruders.  The  first 
blow  fell  on  the  people  of  Swanzey  as  they  were  quietly  going 
home  from  church  on  Sunday  (July  14,  1675).  The  settlers 
flew  to  arms,  but  Philip  escaped  and  soon  fell  upon  the 
settlements  high  up  the  Connecticut  valley.f  He  was  every- 
v.-here  present,  rousing  the  Indians  by  his  burning  eloquence. 

The  colonists  fortified 
their  houses  with  pali- 
cades,  carried  their  arms 
with  them  into  the 
fields  when  at  work,  and 
stacked  them  at  the  door 
when  at  church.  "Worst- 

e(^  ^  a  ft"™118  attack 
on  Hatfield,  Philip  fled 

A   FORTIFIED   HOUSE.  * 

back  to  Ehode  Island, 

where  the  Narraganset  Indians  gave  him  shelter.  The  sav- 
ages had  here  gathered  then-  winter's  provisions,  and  forti- 
fied themselves  in  the  midst  of  an  almost  inaccessible  swamp. 
Fifteen  hundred  of  the  colonists  attacked  them  in  this 
stronghold.  The  wi'nvams  and  stores  were  burned,  and  one 

*  King  Philip  lived  on  Mt.  Hope,  near  Bristol,  R.  I. 

t  At  Hadley  the  Indians  surprised  the  people  on  Fast  day,  June  12, 1676.  Seizing 
their  muskets  at  the  sound  of  the  savage  war-whoop,  the  men  rushed  out  of  the 
meeting-house  to  fall  into  line.  But  the  foe  was  on  every  side.  Confused  and  be- 
wildered,  the  settlers  seemed  about  to  give  way,  when  suddenly  a  strange  old  man 
with  long  white  beard  and  ancient  garb  appeared  among  them.  Ringing  out  a  quick, 
sharp  word  of  command,  he  recalled  them  to  their  senses.  Following  their  myste- 
rious leader,  they  drove  the  enemy  headlong  before  them.  The  danger  passed,  they 
looked  around  for  their  deliverer.  But  he  had  disappeared  as  mysteriously  as  he  had 
come.  The  good  people  believed  that  God  had  sent  an  angel  to  their  rescue.  Bpt 
history  reveals  the  secret.  It  was  the  regicide  Colonel  Goffe,  Fleeing  from  the 
vengeance  of  Charles  II.,  with  a  price  set  upon  his  head,  he  had  for  years  wandered 
about,  living  in  mills,  clefts  of  rocks,  and  forest  caves.  At  last  he  had  found  an 
asylum  with  the  Hadley  minister.  From  his  window  he  had  seen  the  stealthy 
Indians  coming  down  the  hill.  Fired  with  desire  to  do  one  more  good  deed  for 
God's  people,  he  rushed  from  his  hiding-place,  led  them  on  to  victory,  and  then 
returned  to  his  retreat,  never  more  to  reappear. 


1676.]  EPOCH    II.  59 

thousand  warriors  perished.  Philip  escaped.  In  the  spring 
the  war  broke  out  anew  along  a  frontier  of  three  hundred 
miles,  and  to  within  twenty  miles  of  Boston.  Nowhere  fight- 
ing in  the  open  field,  but  by  ambuscade  and  skulking, 
the  Indians  kept  the  whole  country  in  terror.  Driven  to 
desperation  by  their '  atrocities,  the  settlers  hunted  down  the 
savages  like  wild  beasts.  Philip  was  chased  from  one  hiding- 
place  to  another.  His  family  was  captured.  At  last  he  fled 
to  his  old  home  on  Mi  Hope,  where  he  was  shot  by  a  faithless 
Indian. 

New  England  a  Royal  Province. — The  Navigation 
Act,  which  we  have  seen  so  unpopular  in  Virginia,  was  ex- 
ceedingly oppressive  on  Massachusetts,  which  possessed  a  thriv- 
ing commerce.*  In  spite  of  the  decree  the  colony  opened 
a  trade  with  the  West  Indies.  The  royalists  in  England  de- 
termined that  this  bold  republican  spirit  should  be  quelled. 
An  English  officer  attempting  to  enforce  the  Navigation  Act 
was  compelled  to  return  home.  Charles  II.  eagerly  seized 
upon  the  excuse  thus  offered,  and  made  Massachusetts 
a  royal  province.  The  king  died  before  his  plan  was  com- 
pleted, but  James  II.  (1686)  declared  the  charters  of  all  the 
New  England  colonies  forfeited,  and  sent  over  Sir  Edmund 
Audros,  first  royal  governor  of  New  England.  He  carried 
things  with  a  high  hand.  The  colonies  endured  his  oppres- 
sion for  three  years,  when,  learning  that  his  royal  master 
was  dethroned,  they  rose  against  their  petty  tyrant  and  put 
him  in  jail.  With  true  Puritan  sobriety  they  then  quietly 
resumed  their  old  form  of  .-government.  This  lasted  for 
three  years,  when  Sir  William  Phipps  came  as  royal  gov- 
ernor over  a  province  embracing  Massachusetts,  Maine,  and 
Nova  Scotia.  From  this  time  till  the  Eevolution,  Massachu- 
setts remained  a  royal  province. 

*  The  Boston  colony  built  a  ship  the  first  year  after  its  settlement. 


60  UNITED    STATES    HISTORY.  [1602; 

Salem  Witchcraft  (1092). — A  strange  delusion  known 
as  the  Salem  witchcraft,*  produced  the  most  intense  excite- 
ment. The  children  of  Mr.  Parris,  a  minister  near  Salem, 
performed  pranks  which  could  only  be  explained  by  supposing 
that  they  were  under  Satanic  influence.  Every  effort  was 
made  to  discover  who  had  bewitched  them.  An  Indian  ser- 
vant was  flogged  until  she  admitted  herself  to  be  guilty. 
Soon  others  were  affected.  The  terrible  mania  spread.  Com- 
mittees of  examination  were  appointed  and  courts  of  trial  con- 
vened. The  most  improbable  stories  were  credited.  To  ex- 
press a  doubt  of  witchcraft  was  to  indicate  one's  own  alliance 
with  the  evil  spirit.  Persons  of  the  highest  respectability, 
clergymen,  magistrates,  and  even  the  governor's  wife  were  im- 
plicated. At  last,  after  fifty-five  persons  had  been  tortured 
and  twenty  himg,  the  people  awoke  to  their  folly. 


MAINE  AND   NEW  HAMPSHIRE. 

These  Colonies  were  so  intimately  united  with  Massa- 
chusetts that  they  have  almost  a  common  history.  Gorges 
(gor-jez)  and  Mason,  about  two  years  after  the  landing  of  the 
Pilgrims,  obtained  from  the  Council  for  New  England  the 
grant  of  a  large  tract  of  land  which  lay  between  the  Mer- 

•  A  belief  in  witchcraft  was  at  that  time  universal.  Sir  Matthew  Hale,  one  of  the 
most  enlightened  judges  of  England,  repeatedly  tried  and  condemned  persons 
accused  of  witchcraft.  Blackstone  himself,  at  a  later  day,  declared  that  to  deny 
witchcraft  was  to  deny  Revelation.  Cotton  Mather,  the  most  prominent  minister  of 
the  colony,  was  active  in  the  rooting  out  of  this  supposed  crime.  He  published  a 
book  full  of  the  most  ridiculous  witch  stories.  One  judge,  who  engaged  in  this  per- 
secution, was  afterward  so  deeply  penitent  that  he  observed  a  day  of  fasting  in  each 
year,  and  on  the  day  of  general  fast  rose  in  his  place  in  the  Old  South  Church  at 
Bostou,  and  in  the  presence  of  the  congregation  handed  to  the  pulpit  a  written  con- 
fession  acknowledging  his  error,  and  praying  for  forgiveness. 


1622.]  EPOCH     II.  61 

rimac  and  Kennebec  Elvers.  They  established  some  small 
fishing  stations  near  Portsmouth  and  at  Dover.  This  patent 
being  afterward  dissolved,  Mason  took  the  country  lying 
west  of  the  Piscataqua,  and  named  it  New  Hampshire ; 
Gorges  took  that  lying  east,  and  termed  it  the  province  of 
Maine.*  Massachusetts,  however,  claimed  this  territory,  and 
to  secure  it  paid  six  thousand  dollars  to  the  heirs  of  Gorges. 
Maine  was  not  separated  from  Massachusetts  till  1820.  The 
feeble  settlements  of  New  Hampshire  also  placed  tnemselves 
under  the  protection  of  Massachusetts,  "  Three  times,  either 
by  their  own  consent  or  by  royal  authority,  they  were  joined 
in  one  colony,  and  as  often  separated,"  until  1741,  when 
New  Hampshire  became  a  royal  province,  and  so  remained 
until  the  Revolution. 


CONNECTICUT. 

Settlement — About  eleven  years  after  the  landing  of 
the  Pilgrims,  Lord  Say-and-Seal,  and  Lord  Brooke,  ob- 
tained from  the  council  for  New  England  a  grant  of  the 
territory  now  embraced  in  Connecticuif  The  Dutch,  how- 
ever, claimed  the  valley  of  the  Connecticut,  and  before  the 
English  proprietors  could  take  possession,  had  built  a  fort  at 
Hartford,  and  commenced  traffic  with  the  Indians.  Some 
traders  from  Plymouth  sailing  up  the  river  were  stopped  by 

*  To  distinguish  it  from  the  islands  along  the  coast,  this  country  had  heen  called 
the  Mayne  (main)  land,  which  perhaps  gave  rise  to  its  present  name.  New  Hamp- 
shire was  so  called  from  Hampshire  in  England,  Mason's  home.  The  settlers  of  New 
Hampshire  were  long  vexed  with  suits  brought  hy  the  men  in  whose  hands  Mason's 
grant  had  fallen. 

t  This  State  is  named  from  its  principal  river — Connecticut  being  the  Indian  word 
for  Long  River. 


62  UXITED    STATES    HISTOEY.  [1633. 

the  Dutch,  who  threatened  to  fire  upon  them.  But  they 
kept  on  and  established  a  post  at  Windsor  (wiu'-zer).  Many 
people  from  Boston,  allured  by  the  rich  meadow  lands,  settled 
near.  In  the  autumn  of  1635,  John  Steele,  one  of  the  proprie- 
tors of  Cambridge,  led  a  pioneer  company  "  out  west,"  as  it 
was  then  called,  and  laid  the  foundations  of  Hartford.  The 
next  year  the  main  band,  with  their  pastor — Thomas  Hooker, 
a  most  eloquent  and  estimable  man — came,  driving  their 
flocks  before  them  through  the  wilderness.  In  the  meantime 
John  Winthrop*  established  a  fort  at  the  mouth  of  the  river, 
and  thus  shut  out  the  Dutch.  This  colony,  in  honor  of  the 
proprietors,  was  named  Saybrook. 

The  Pequod.  War. — The  colonists  had  no  sooner  be- 
come settled  in  their  new  home  than  the  Pequod  Indians 
endeavored  to  persuade  the  Karragansets  to  join  in  a  gen- 
eral attack  upon  the  whites.  Eoger  Williams  hearing  of 
this,  and  forgetting  all  the  injuries  he  had  received,  set 
out  in  his  canoe  on  a  stormy  night  for  the  Indian  village. 
Though  the  Pequod  messengers  were  present,  he  prevailed 
upon  the  old  Narraganset  chief  to  remain  at  home.  So  the 
Pequods  lost  their  ally  and  were  forced  to  fight  alone.  They 
commenced  by  murdering  thirty  colonists.  Captain  Mason, 
therefore,  resolved  to  attack  their  stronghold  on  the  Mystic 
Eiver.  His  party  approached  the  fort  at  daybreak  (June  4, 
1637).  Aroused  by  the  barking  of  a  dog,  the  sleepy  sentinel 
shouted  "  Owanux  !  Owanux  ! "  (the  Englishmen !)  but  it  was 
too  late.  The  troops  were  already  within  the  palisades.  The 
Indians,  rallying,  made  a  fierce  resistance,  when  Captain  Mason, 

*  John  Winthrop  appear?  in  history  without  blemish.  Highly  educated  and 
accomplished,  he  was  no  less  upridrt  and  generous.  In  the  bloom  of  life,  he  left  all 
his  brilliant  prospects  in  the  old  world  to  follow  the  fortunes  of  the  new.  When  his 
father  had  made  himself  poor  in  nurturing  the  Massachusetts  colony,  this  r.oble  son 
gave  up  voluntarily  his  own  large  inheritance  to  "further  the  good  work  "  It  was 
throush  his  personal  influence  and  popularity  at  court  that  the  liberal  charter  \vas 
procured  from  Charles  II.  which  guaranteed  freedom  to  Connecticut. 


1637.]  EPOCH    II.  63 

seizing  a  firebrand,  hurled  it  among  the  wigwams.  The 
flames  quickly  swept  through  the  encampment  The  Eng- 
lish themselves  barely  escaped.  The  few  Indians  who  fled  to 
the  swamps  were  hunted  down.  The  tribe  perished  in  a  day. 

The  Three  Colonies. — 1.  The  New  Haven  Colony  was 
founded  (1638)  by  a  number  of  wealthy  London  families. 
They  took  the  Bible  for  law,  and  only  church  members  could 
vote.  2.  The  Connecticut  Colony,  proper,  comprising  Hart- 
ford, Wethersfield  and  Windsor,  adopted  a  written  constitu- 
tion in  which  it  was  agreed  to  give  the  right  to  vote  to  all  free- 
men. This  was  the  first  instance  in  all  history  of  a  written 
constitution  framed  ly  the  people.  3.  The  SaybrooTc  Colony 
was  at  first  governed  by  the  proprietors,  but  was  after- 
ward sold  to  the  Connecticut  colony.  This  reduced  the  three 
colonies  to  two. 

A  Royal  Charter  was  obtained  (1662)  which  combined 
both  these  colonies  and  guaranteed  to  all  the  rights  which  the 
Connecticut  colonists  had 
agreed  upon.  This  was  a 
most  precious  document, 
since  it  gave  them  almost 
independence,  and  was 
the  most  favorable  yet 
granted  to  any  colony. 
Twenty-four  years  after, 
Governor  Andros  march- 
ing from  Boston  Over  the  THE  CHARTER  OAK. 

route  where  the  pious  Hooker  had  led  his  little  flock- 
fifty 'years  before,  came  "glittering  with  scarlet  arid  lace  "  into 
the  assembly  at  Hartford,  and  demanded  the  charter.  A  pro- 
tracted debate  ensued.  The  people  crowded  around  to  take  a 
last  look  at  this  guarantee  of  their  liberties,  when  suddenly 
the  lights  were  extinguished.  On  being  relighted,  the  charter 


C4  UNITED     STATES     HISTOET.  [1687, 

was  gone.  William  Wadsworth  had  seized  it,  escaped  through 
the  crowd  arid  hidden  it  in  the  hollow  of  a  tree,  famous  ever 
after  as  the  Charter  Oak.  However,  Andros  pronounced  the 
charter  government  at  an  end,  and  wrote  "Finis"  at  the 
close  of  the  minutes  of  their  last  meeting.  "When  the  gov- 
ernor was  so  summarily  deposed  in  Boston  the  people  brought 
the  charter  from  its  hiding-place,  the  general  court  reassem- 
bled, and  the  "  finis  "  disappeared.* 


RHODE  ISLAND. 

Settlement. — Eoger  Williamsf  settled  Providence  Planta- 
tion hi  1636,  the  year  in  which  Hooker  came  to  Hartford. 
Other  exiles  from  Massachusetts  followed,J  among  them  the 
celebrated  Mrs.  Hutchinson.  A  party  of  these  purchased  § 
the  island  of  Aquiday  and  established  the  Khode  Island  Plan- 
tation. Koger  Williams  stamped  upon  these  colonies  his 

*  Another  attempt  to  infringe  upon  charter  rights  occurred  in  1693.  Governor 
Fletcher  ordered  the  militia  placed  under  his  own  command.  Having  called  them 
out  to  listen  to  his  royal  commission,  he  began  to  read.  Immediately  Captain  Wads- 
worth  ordered  the  drums  to  be  beaten.  Fletcher  commanded  silence,  and  began 
again.  "Drum,  drum!"  cried  Wadsworth.  "  Silence  1"  shouted  the  governor. 
"Drum,  drum,  I  say!"  repeated  the  captain;  and  then  turning  to  Fletcher,  with  a 
meaning  look,  he  added :  "  If  I  am  interrupted  again  I  will  make  the  sun  shine 
through  you  in  a  moment."  The  governor  concluded  not  to  press  the  matter. 

t  Williams  was  not  the  first  European  who  had  lived  within  the  limits  of  Rhode 
Island,  although  he  was  really  the  founder  of  that  State.  William  Blackstone,  being 
as  dissatisfied  with  the  yoke  of  the  "lords  brethren"  in  Boston  as  with  that  of  the 
"  lords  bishops"  in  England,  had  some  time  before  removed  to  the  banks  of  what  is  now 
caned  the  Blackstone,  near  the  present  site  of  Providence.  However,  he  had  no  in- 
tention of  founding  a  new  colony,  and  acknowledged  the  jurisdiction  of  Massa- 
chusetts. 

$  Persecuted  refugees  from  all  quarters  nocked  to  Providence:  and  Williams 
shared  ennally  with  all  the  lands  he  had  obtained,  reserving  to  himself  only  two  small 
fields  which,  on  his  first  arrival,  he  had  planted  with  his  own  hands. 

§  An  island  of  a  reddish  appearance  was  observed  lying  in  the  bay.  This  was 
known  to  the  Dutch  as  Roode  or  Red  Island.  Hence  the  name  of  the  island  and 
State  of  Rhode  Island.— Brodhead. 


1638.]  EPOCH    II.  65 

favorite  idea  of  religious  toleration,  i.  e.,  that  the  civil  power 
has  no  right  to  interfere  with  the  religious  opinions  of  men. 

A  Charter. — The  colonists  wished  to  join  the  New  Eng- 
land Union,  but  were  refused  on  the  ostensible  plea  that  they 
had  no  charter.*  Williams  accordingly  visited  England  and 
obtained  a  charter  uniting  the  two  plantations.  On  his  return 
the  people  met,  elected  their  officers,  and  (1647)  agreed  on  a 
set  of  laws  guaranteeing  freedom  of  faith  and  worship  to  all, — 
"the  first  legal  declaration  of  liberty  of  conscience  ever 
adopted  in  Europe  or  America." 


NEW  YORK. 

Settlement. — Soon  after  the  discovery  of  the  Hudson,  as 
previously  described  (p.  39),  Dutch  ships  began  to  visit  the 
river  to  traffic  in  furs  with  the  Indians.  Afterward  the  West 
India  Company  obtained  a  grant  of  New  Netherland,  and 
under  its  patronage  permanent  settlements  were  made  at  New 
Amsterdam!  (1613)  and  Fort  Orange  (Albany).  The  company 
allowed  persons  who  should  plant  a  colony  of  fifty  settlers  to 
select  and  buy  land  of  the  Indians,  which  it  was  agreed  should 
descend  to  their  heirs  forever.  These  persons  were  called 
"  patroons  "  (patrons)  of  the  manor.  J 

The  Four  Dutch  Governors. — The  history  of  New  York 

*  We  say  ostensible  because  Massachusetts  showed  her  ill-will  by  refusing  to  al- 
low Rhode  Island  traders  on  her  soil,  and  threatening  to  arrest  them  if  they  ven- 
tured across  her  line.  She  also  compelled  Williams,  when  he  went  to  England,  to  go 
to  New  York,  take  a  Dutch  vessel,  and  sail  via  Holland,  instead  of  shipping  direct 
from  Boston. 

+  The  island  where  New  York  city  now  stands  was  purchased  of  the  Manhattan 
Indians  for  about  $34.  The  Dutch  called  it  New  Amsterdam. 

i  Some  of  these  manors  remain  to  this  day.  The  famous  "anti-rent"  difficulties 
grew  out  of  such  titles. 


UNITED    STATES    HISTORY. 


[1G33. 


for  twenty  years  is  only  an  account  of  Indian  butcheries, 
varied  by  difficulties  with  the  Swedes  on  the  Delaware,  and 
the  English  on  the  Connecticut*  These  disturbances  are 
monotonous  enough  in  the  recital,  but  doubtless  thrilled  the 
blood  of  the  early  Knickerbockers.  Peter  Stuyvesant  was  the 
last  and  ablest  of  the  four  Dutch  governors.  He  agreed  with 
Connecticut  upon  the  boundary  line,  and  taking  an  armed  force 


THE   ENGLISH   LANDING  AT  NEW   YORK,    1664. 

marched  upon  the  Swedes,  who  at  once  submitted  to  him. 
But  the  old  Governor  hated  democratic  institutions,  and  was 
terribly  vexed  in  this  wise.  There  were  some  English  in  the 
colony,  and  they  longed  for  the  rights  of  self-government 
which  the  Connecticut  people  enjoyed.  They  kept  demand- 
ing these  privileges  and  talking  of  them  to  their  Dutch  neigh- 
bors. At  this  juncture  an  English  fleet  came  to  anchor  in  the 

*  These  disputes  arose  from  the  fact  that  the  Dutch  claimed  the  territory  lying 
between  the  Delaware  and  the  Connecticut. 


1664.]  EPOCH     II.  67 

harbor,  and  demanded  the  surrender  of  the  town  in  the 
name  of  the  Duke  of  York.  Stout-hearted  old  Peter  pleaded 
with  his  council  to  fight.  But  in  vain.  They  rather  liked 
the  idea  of  English  rule.  The  surrender  was  signed,  and 
at  last  the  reluctant  governor  attached  his  name.  In 
September,  1664,  the  English  flag  floated  over  Manhattan 
Island.  The  colony  was  named  New  York  in  honor  of  the 
proprietor. 

The  English  Governors  disappointed  the  people  by  not 
granting  their  coveted  rights.  A  remonstrance  against  being 
taxed  without  representation  was  burned  by  the  hangman. 
So  that  when,  after  nine  years  of  English  rule,  a  Dutch  fleet 
appeared  in  the  harbor,  the  people  went  back  quietly  under 
their  old  rulers.  But  the  next  year  peace  being  restored  be- 
tween England  and  Holland,  New  Amsterdam  became  New 
York  again.  Thus  ended  the  Dutch  rule  in  the  colonies. 
Andros,  who  twelve  years  after  played  the  tyrant  in  New  Eng- 
land, was  the  next  governor.  He  ruled  so  arbitrarily  that  he 
was  called  home.  Under  his  successor,  Dongan,  there  was  a 
gleam  of  civil  freedom.  By  permission  of  the  Duke  of  York, 
he  called  an  assembly  of  the  representatives  of  the  people. 
This  was  but  transient,  for  two  years  after,  when  the  Duke  of 
York  became  James  H.,  king  of  England,  he  forgot  all  hia 
promises,  forbade  legislative  assemblies,  prohibited  printing- 
presses,  and  annexed  the  colony  to  New  England.  When, 
however,  Andros  was  driven  from  Boston,  Nicholson,  his  lieuten- 
ant and  apt  tool  of  tyranny  in  New  York,  fled  at  once.  Cap- 
tain Leisler,  supported  by  the  democracy  but  bitterly  opposed 
by  the  aristocracy,  thereupon  administered  affairs  very  pru- 
dently until  the  arrival  of  Governor  Slaughter  (slaw-ter)  who 
arrested  him  on  the  absurd  charge  of  treason.  Slaughter 
was  unwilling  to  execute  him,  but  Leister's  enemies,  at  a 
dinner  party,  made  the  governor  drunk,  obtained  his  signa- 


68  UNITED    STATES    HISTORY.  [1691. 

ture,  and  before  he  became  sober  enough  to  repent,  Leisler 
was  no  more.* 

From  this  time  till  the  Kevolution,  the  struggles  of  the  peo- 
ple with  the  royal  governors  for  their  rights,  developed  the 
spirit  of  liberty  and  paved  the  way  for  that  eventful  crisis. 


NEW  JERSEY. 

Settlement. — The  present  State  of  New  Jersey  was  em- 
braced in  the  territory  of  New  Netherland,  and  the  Dutch 
made  settlements  at  several  places  near  New  York.  Soon 
after  New  Netherland  passed  into  the  hands  of  the  Duke  of 
York,  he  gave  the  landf  between  the  Hudson  and  Delaware 
to  Lord  Berkeley  and  Sir  George  Carteret.  In  1664,  a  com- 
pany from  Long  Island  and  New  England  settled  at  Eliza- 
bethtown,  which  they  named  after  Carteret's  wife.  This  was 
the  first  permanent  English  settlement  in  the  State. 

East  and  West  Jersey. — Lord  Berkeley  sold  his  share 
to  some  English  Quakers.  This  part  was  called  West  Jersey. 
A  company  of  Quakers  soon  settled  at  Burlington.  Others 
followed,  and  thus  West  Jersey  became  a  Quaker  colony.  Sir 
George  Carteref  s  portion  was  called  East  Jersey.  After 

*  For  many  years  the  Atlantic  Ocean  was  infested  by  pirates.  A  little  after  the 
events  narrated  above,  William  Kidd,  a  New  York  shipmaster,  was  sent  out  to 
cruise  against  these  sea-robbers.  He  turned  pirate  himself  and  became  the  most  noted 
of  them  all.  Returning  from  his  cruise  he  was  at  length  captured  while  boldly  walk- 
ing in  the  streets  of  Boston.  He  was  carried  to  England,  tried,  and  hung.  His  name 
and  deeds  have  been  woven  into  popular  romance,  and  the  song  "My  name  is  Cap- 
tain Kidd,  as  I  sailed,  as  I  sailed,"  is  well  known.  He  is  believed  to  have  buried  his 
ill-gotten  riches  on  the  coast  of  Long  Island  or  the  banks  of  the  Hudson,  and 
these  localities  have  been  oftentimes  searched  by  credulous  persons  seeking  for 
Kidd's  treasure. 

t  This  tract  was  called  New  Jersey  in  honor  of  Carteret,  who  had  been  governor 
of  Jersey  island  in  the  English  channel. 


1682.]  EPOCH    II.  69 

his  death  it  was  sold  to  William  Penn  and  eleven  other 
Quakers.* 

New  Jersey  United. — Constant  disputes  arose  out  of 
the  land  titles.  Among  so  many  proprietors  the  tenants 
hardly  knew  from  whom  to  obtain  their  titles  for  land.  The 
proprietors  finally  (1702)  surrendered  their  rights  of  govern- 
ment to  the  English  crown,  and  the  whole  of  New  Jersey  was 
united  with  New  York  under  one  governor,  hut  with  a  sepa- 
rate assembly.  Thirty-six  years  after,  at  the  earnest  request 
of  the  people,  New  Jersey  was  set  apart  as  a  distinct  royal 
province. 


PENNSYLVANIA   AND  DELAWARE. 

Settlement. — The  first  settlement  in  Delaware  was  made 
(1638)  by  the  Swedes,  on  a  tract  of  land  which  they  called 
New  Sweden,  lying  near  Wilmington.  They  also  made  the 
first  settlement  in  Pennsylvania,  a  few  miles  below  Philadel- 
phia. The  Dutch  subsequently  conquered  these  settlements, 
but  they  continued  to  prosper  long  after  the  Swedish  and 
Dutch  rule  had  yielded  to  the  constantly  growing  English 
power. 

William  Penn,  the  founder  of  Pennsylvania,  was  a  cele- 
brated English  Quaker,  f  He  obtained  from  Charles  II.  a  grant 

*  It  was  settled,  however,  largely  by  Puritans  and  Scotch  Presbyterians.  The 
latter  having  refused  to  accept  the  English  form  of  religion,  had  been  bitterly  perse- 
cuted. Fleeing  their  native  country  they  found  an  asylum  in  this  favored  land. 

t  The  Quakers,  avoiding  unmeaning  forms,  aim  to  lead  purely  spiritual  lives. 
Their  usual  worship  is  conducted  in  solemn  silence,  each  soul  for  itself.  They  take 
no  oath,  make  no  compliments,  remove  not  the  hat  to  king  or  ruler,  and  "  thee " 
and  "  thou '"  both  friend  and  foe.  Every  day  is  to  them  a  holy  day,  and  the  Sabbath 
simply  a  day  of  rest  We  can  readily  see  how  this  must  have  scandalized  the 
Puritans. 

William  Penn  became  a  Quaker  while  in  college  at  Oxford.    Refusing  to  wear  the 


70  UNITED    STATES    HISTORY. 

of  the  land  lying  west  of  the  Delaware.  This  tract  Penn 
named  Sylvania,  but  the  king  insisted  upon  calling  it  Penn- 
sylvania* (Penn's  woods).  The  Duke  of  York  added  to  this 
grant  the  present  State  of  Delaware,  which  soon  came  to  be 
termed  the  "  Three  lower  counties  on  the  Delaware."  Penn 
wished  to  form  a  refuge  for  his  Quaker  brethren,  who  were 
bitterly  persecuted  in  England.  He  at  onca  sent  over  large 
numbers,  as  many  as  two  thousand  in  a  single  year.  The 
next  year  he  came  himself.  On  his  arrival  he  was  received  by 
the  settlers  with  the  greatest  cordiality  and  respect 

Philadelphia  Founded!— The  year  following  (1683) 
Penn  purchased  land  of  the  Swedes  and  laid  out  a  city  which 
he  named  Philadelphia,  signifying  brotherly  love.  It  was  in 
the  midst  of  the  forest,  and  the  startled  deer  bounded  past  the 
settler  who  came  to  survey  his  new  home.  Yet  within  a  year  it 
had  one  hundred  houses ;  in  two  years  numbered  over  two 
thousand  inhabitants;  and  in  three  years  had  gained  more 
than  Xew  York  had  in  half  a  century. 

The  Great  Law  was  a  code  agreed  upon  by  the  legisla- 
tive body  .which  Penn  called  from  among  the  settlers  soon 
after  his  arrival.  It  made  faith  in  Christ  a  necessary  qualifi- 
cation for  voting  and  office-holding ;  but  also  provided  that 
no  one  believing  in  "  Almighty  God "  should  be  molested  in 
his  religious  views.  The  Quakers,  having  been  persecuted 


customary  student's  surplice,  he  with  others  violently  assaulted  some  fellow-students 
and  stripped  them  of  their  robes.  For  this  he  was  expelled.  His  father  would  not 
allow  him  to  return  home.  Afterward  relenting,  he  sent  him  to  Paris,  Cork,  and 
other  cities,  to  soften  his  Quaker  peculiarities.  After  several  unhapDy  quarrels,  his 
father  proposed  to  overlook  all  else  if  he  would  only  consent  to  doff  his  hat  to  the 
king,  the  Duke  of  York,  and  himself.  Penn  still  refusing,  he  was  again  turned  out 
of  doors.  He  was  several  times  imprisoned  for  his  religions  extremes.  On  the 
death  of  his  father,  to  whom  he  had  once  more  been  reconciled,  he  became  heir  to 
quite  a  fortune.  He  took  the  territory  which  forma  Pennsylvania  in  payment  of  a 
debt  of  £16.000  due  his  father  from  the  crown. 

*  Penn  offered  the  secretary  who  drew  up  the  charter  twenty  guineas  to  leave  off 
the  prefix  "Penn."  This  request  being  denied,  the  king  was  appealed  to,  who  com- 
manded it  to  be  called  Pennsylvania  in  honor  of  William  Penn's  father. 


1683.] 


EPOCH    II  . 


themselves,  did  not  celebrate  their  liberty  by  persecuting 
others.  Penn,  himself,  surrendered  the  most  of  his  power  to 
the  people.  His  highest  ambition  seemed  to  be  to  advance 
their  interests.  He  often  declared  that  if  he  knew  anything 
more  to  make  them  happier,  he  would  freely  grant  it. 

Penn's  Treaty  with  the  Indians*  possesses  a  romantic 
interest.  He  met  them  un- 
der a  large  elm  treef  near 
Philadelphia.  The  savages 
were  touched  by  his  gentle 
words  and  kindly  bearing. 
"  We  will  live  in  love  with 
William  Penn  and  his  chil- 
dren," said  they,  "as  long 
as  the  sun  and  moon  shall 
shine."J 

Penn's  Return. — Penn 
returned  to  England  (1684) 
leaving  the  colony  fairly 
established.  His  benevo- 
lent spirit  shone  forth  in 
his  parting  words,  "Dear 
friends,  my  love  salutes 

yOU    all.'  STATUE  OF   PENN   IN   PHILADELPHIA. 

Delaware. — The  three  lower  counties  on  the  Delaware 


*  "  We  meet,"  said  Penn,  "  on  the  broad  pathway  of  good  faith  and  good  will ;  no 
advantage  shall  be  taken  on  either  side,  but  all  shall  be  openness  and  love.  The 
friendship  between  you  and  me  I  will  not  compare  to  a  chain ;  for  that  the  rains 
might  rust  or  the  falling  tree  might  break.  We  are  the  same  as  if  one  man's  body 
were  to  be  divided  into  two  parts ;  we  are  all  one  flesh  and  blood." 

t  This  tree  was  carefully  preserved  until  1810,  when  it  was  blown  down.  A  mon- 
ument now  marks  the  spot. 

$  The  simple-minded  natives  kept  the  history  of  this  treaty  by  means  of  strings 
of  wampum,  and  they  would  often  count  over  the  shells  on  a  clean  piece  of  bark  and 
rehearse  its  provisions.  "Ttwas  the  only  treaty  never  sworn  to,  and  the  only  ono 
never  broken."  On  every  band  the  Indians  waged  relentless  war  with  the  colonies, 
but  they  never  shed  a  drop  of  Quaker  blood. 


72  UNITED    STATES    HISTORY.  [1G90. 

being  greatly  offended  by  the  action  of  the  council  which 
Penn  had  left  to  govern  in  his  absence,  set  up  for  themselves. 
Penn  "sorrowfully"  consented  to  their  action,  appointed  a 
deputy  governor  over  them,  and  afterward  granted  them  an 
assembly.  Pennsylvania  and  Delaware,  however,  remained 
under  one  governor  until  the  Kevolution. 

Penn's  Heirs  after  his  death  (1718)  became  proprietors 
of  the  nourishing  colony  he  had  established.  It  was  ruled  by 
deputies  whom  they  appointed,  until  (1779)  the  State  of 
Pennsylvania  bought  out  their  claims  by  the  payment  of 
about  half  a  million  of  dollars. 


MARYLAND. 

Settlement. — Lord  Baltimore*  [Cecil  Calvert],  a  Catholic, 
was  anxious  to  secure  for  the  friends  of  his  church  a  refuge 
from  the  persecutions  which  they  were  then  suffering  in 
England^  He  accordingly  obtained  from  King  Charles  a 
grant  of  land  lying  north  of  the  Potomac.  The  first  settle- 
ment was  made  (1634)  by  his  brother  at  an  Indian  village 
which  he  called  St.  Mary's,  near  the  mouth  of  the  Potomac. 

The  Charter  was  very  different  from  that  granted  to  Vir- 

*  His  father,  George  Calvert,  the  first  Lord  Baltimore,  with  this  same  design  had 
attempted  to  plant  a  colony  in  Newfoundland.  Bat  failing  on  account  of  the  sever- 
ity of  the  climate,  he  visited  Virginia.  Finding  that  the  Catholics  were  there  treated 
with  great  harshness,  he  returned  to  England,  took  out  a  grant  of  land,  and  bestowed 
upon  it,  in  honor  of  the  queen,  Henrietta  Maria,  the  name  Maryland.  Ere  the  patent 
had  received  the  great  seal  of  the  king,  Lord  Baltimore  died.  His  son,  inherit- 
ing the  father's  noble  and  benevolent  views,  secured  the  grant  himself,  and  carried 
out  the  philanthropic  scheme. 

t  It  is  curious  to  observe  how  largely  this  country  was  peopled  in  its  earlier  days 
bv  refugees  for  religious  faith.  The  Huguenots,  the  Puritans,  the  Quakers,  the 
Presbyterians,  the  Catholics,  the  persecuted  of  every  sect  and  creed,  all  flocked  to 
this  "  home  of  the  free." 


1632.]  EPOCH    II.  73 

ginia,  since  it  gave  to  all  freemen  a  voice  in  making  the  lavs. 
An  Assembly,  called  in  accordance  with  this  provision,  passed 
(1649)  the  celebrated  Toleration  Act,  which  secured  to  all 
Christians  liberty  to  worship  God  according  to  the  dictates  of 
their  own  conscience.  Maryland,  like  Khode  Island,*  became 
an  asylum  for  the  persecuted. 

Civil  Wars.— 1.  Claylorruts  Rebellion  (1635).— The  Vir- 
ginia colony  claimed  that  Lord  Baltimore's  grant  covered  ter- 
ritory belonging  to  them.  Clayborne,  a  member  of  the 
Jamestown  council,  was  especially  obstinate  in  the  matter. 
He  had  already  established  two  trading  posts  hi  Maryland, 
which  he  prepared  to  defend  by  force  of  arms.  A  bloody 
skirmish  ensued,  in  which  his  party  were  beaten.  He,  him- 
self, had  fled  to  Virginia,  on  the  eve  of  battle,  but  being  ac- 
cused of  treason,  he  was  sent  to  England  for  trial.  He  was, 
however,  acquitted  of  this  charge.  Ten  years  afterward  he 
came  back,  raised  a  rebellion,  and  drove  Calvert,  then  governor 
of  Maryland,  out  of  the  colony.  The  governor  returned  at 
last  with  a  strong  force,  and  Clayborne  fled.  This  ended  the 
contest 

2.  The  Protestants  and  the  Catholics. — The  Protestants, 
having  obtained  a  majority  hi  the  Assembly,  made  a  most  un- 
grateful use  of  their  power.  Quarreling  with  the  proprietor 
and  his  hereditary  rights,  they  assailed  his  religion,  excluded 
Catholics  from  the  Assembly,  and  even  declared  them  outside 
the  protection  of  the  law.  Civil  war  ensued.  For  years  the 
victory  alternated.  At  one  time  two  governments,  one  Protes- 
tant, the  other  Catholic,  were  sustained.  In  1691,  Lord  Balti- 
more was  entirely  deprived  of  his  rights  as  proprietor,  and 
Maryland  became  a  royal  province.  The  Church  of  England 

*  Two  years  before,  Rhode  Island  had  passed  an  act  protecting  all  kinds  of  re- 
I'rfons  faith  and  worship.  Maryland  extended  protection  to  all  forms  of  Christianity 
alone. 


74  UNITED    STATES    HISTORY.  [1691. 

was  established,  and  the  Catholics  were  again  disfranchised 
in  the  very  province  they  had  planted.  In  1715,  the  fourth 
Lord  Baltimore  recovered  the  government  Religious  toler- 
ation was  again  restored.  Maryland  remained  under  this 
administration  until  the  Revolution. 


THE   CAROLJNAS. 

Settlement. — Lord  Clarendon  and  several  other  noblemen 
obtained  (1663)  from  Charles  II.*  a  grant  of  a  vast  tract  south, 
of  Virginia,  which  was  termed  in  honor  of  the  king,  Caro- 
lina, Two  permanent  settlements  were  soon  made.  1.  The 
Albemaiie\  Colony.  This  was  a  name  given  to  a  plantation 
which  was  already  settled  by  people  who  had  pushed  through 
the  wilderness  from  Virginia,  A  governor  from  their  own 
number  was  appointed  over  them.  They  were  then  left  in 
quiet  to  enjoy  their  liberties  and  forget  the  world. \  2.  The 
Carteret  Colony  was  established  (1670)  by  English  emigrants. 
They  first  sailed  into  the  well-known  waters  where  Ribaut 
anchored  and  the  fort  of  Carolina  was  erected  so  long  before. 
Landing,  they  began  a  settlement  on  the  banks  of  the  Ashley, 
but  afterward  removed  to  the  "  ancient  groves  covered  with 
yellow  jessamine,"  which  marked  the  site  of  the  present 
city  of  Charleston.  The  growth  of  this  colony  was  rapid 
from  the  first  Thither  came  shiploads  of  Dutch  from  New 
York,  dissatisfied  with  the  English  rule  and  attracted  by  the 

*  This  in  Latin  is  Carolus  IL 

t  Both  colonies  were  named  after  prominent  proprietors  of  the  grant. 
J  Except  when  rent  day  came.    Then  they  were  called  upon  to  pay  a  half-penny 
per  acre  to  the  English  proprietors. 


1682.]  EPOCH    II.  75 

genial  climate.  The  Huguenots  (French  Protestants),  hunted 
from  their  homes,  here  found  a  southern  welcome.* 

The  Grand  Model  was  a  form  of  government  for  the 
colonies  prepared  by  Lord  Shaftesbury  and  the  celebrated 
philosopher,  John  Locke.  It  was  a  magnificent  scheme.  It 
divided  the  wilderness  into  baronies  and  manors,  with  various 
orders  of  nobility.  But  the  model  was  aristocratic,  while  the 
people  were  democratic.  It  granted  no  rights  of  self-govern- 
ment, while  the  settlers  came  into  the  wilderness  for  the  love  of 
liberty.  This  was  not  the  soil  on  which  vain  titles  and  empty 
pomp  could  nourish.  To  make  the  Grand  Model  a  success, 
it  would  have  been  necessary  to  transform  the  log-cabin  into  a 
baronial  castle,  and  the  independent  settlers  'into  armed 
retainers.  The  attempt  to  introduce  it  arousing  the  most 
violent  opposition,  it  was  at  length  abandoned. 

North  and  South  Carolina  Separated. — The  two 
colonies, — the  northern,  or  Albemarle,  and  the  southern,  or 
Carteret, — being  so  remote  from  each  other,  had  from  the 
beginning  separate  governors,  though  they  remained  one 
province.  There  was  constant  friction  between  the  settlers 
and  the  proprietors.  The  people  were  jealous.  The  pro- 
prietors were  arbitrary.  Eents,  taxes,  and  rights  were  plenti- 
ful sources  of  irritation.  Things  kept  on  in  this  unsettled  way 
until  (1729)  the  discouraged  proprietors  ceded  to  the  crown 
their  right  of  government  and  seven-eighths  of  the  soil.  The 
two  colonies  were  separated  and  remained  royal  provinces 
until  the  Revolution. 


*  In  Charleston  alone  there  were  at  one  time  as  many  as  16,000  Huguenots.  They 
added  whole  streets  to  the  city.  Their  severe  morality,  marked  charity,  elegant 
manners  and  thrifty  habits,  made  them  a  most  desirable  acquisition.  They  brought 
the  mulberry  and  olive,  and  established  magnificent  plantations  on  the  banks  of  the 
Cooper.  They  also  introduced  many  choice  varieties  of  pears,  which  still  bear  illus- 
trious Huguenot  names.  Their  descendants  are  eminently  honorable,  and  have  borne 
a  proud  part  in  the  establishment  of  our  Republic.  Of  seven  presidents  who  were 
at  the  head  of  the  Congress  of  Philadelphia  during  the  Revolution,  three  were  of 
Huguenot  parentage. 


76  UNITED    STATES    HISTORY. 


GEORGIA. 

Settlement. — In  the  same  year  in  which  Washington 
was  born  (1732),  this  last  colony  of  the  famous  thirteen  which 
were  to  fight  for  independence  under  him  was  planned. 
James  Oglethorpe,  a  warm-hearted  English  officer,  had  con- 
ceived the  idea  of  founding  a  refuge  for  debtors  burdened 
by  the  severe  laws  of  that  time.  He  naturally  turned  to 
America,  which  was  even  then  the  home  of  the  oppressed. 
George  II.  granted  him  "  in  trust  for  the  poor  "  a  tract  of  land 
which,  in  honor  of  the  king,  was  called  Georgia.  Oglethorpe 
settled  at  Savannah  in  1733.*  A  general  interest  was  excited 
in  England,  and  many  charitable  people  gave  liberally  to  pro- 
mote the  enterprise.  More  emigrants  followed,"including,  as 
in  the  other  colonies,  many  who  sought  religious  or  civil 
liberty.f  The  trustees  limited  the  size  of  a  man's  farm, 
did  not  allow  women  to  inherit  land,  and  forbade  the 
importation  of  rum,|  or  of  slaves.  These  restrictions  were 
irksome,  and  great  discontent  prevailed.  At  last  the  trustees, 


*  He  made  peace  with  the  Indians,  conciliating  them  by  presents  and  by  his 
kindly  disposition.  One  of  the  chiefs  gave  him  in  return  a  buffalo's  skin  with  the 
head  and  feathers  of  an  eagle  painted  on  the  inside  of  it.  "  The  eagle,"  said  the 
chief,  "  signifies  swiftness ;  and  the  buffalo  strength.  The  English  are  swift  as  a 
bird  to  fly  over  the  vast  seas,  and  as  strong  as  a  beast  before  their  enemies.  The 
eagle's  feathers  are  soft  and  signify  love  ;  the  buffalo's  skin  is  warm  and  means  pro- 
tection ;  therefore  love  and  protect  our  families." 

t  The  gentle  Moravians  and  sturdy  Scotch  Highlanders  were  among  the  number, 
and  proved  a  valuable  acquisition  to  the  colony.  The  former  had  fled  hither 
from  Austria,  for  "  conscience'  sake."  Having  founded  a  little  colony  among  the 
pine  forests  of  Georgia,  they  named  it  Ebenezer,— taking  as  their  motto  "  Hitherto 
hath  the  Lord  helped  us."  When  John  Wesley,  the  founder  of  Methodism,  came  to 
America  as  a  missionary  with  his  brother  Charles,  they  were  greatly  charmed  with 
the  fervent  piety  of  this  simple  people.  The  celebrated  George  Whitfleld  afterward 
founded  an  orphan  asylum  at  Savannah,  which  he  supported  by  contributions  from 
the  immense  audiences  which  his  wonderful  eloquence  attracted.  On  one  occasion 
sixty  thousand  were  gathered  to  hear  him,  and  his  open-air  meetings  were  often 
attended  by  from  twenty  thousand  to  forty  thousand  people. 

t  Rum  was  obtained  In  exchange  for  lumber  In  the  West  Indies.  Hence  this  law 
prevented  the  trade  and  cut  off  a  valuable  source  of  profit. 


1752.]  EPOCHII.  77 

wearied  by  the  complaints  of  the  colonists,  surrendered  their 
charter  to  the  crown.  Georgia  remained  a  royal  province 
till  the  Revolution. 


INTER-COLONIAL  WARS. 

1.     KING    WILLIAM'S    WAR. 
)-1697.) 


Cause. — War  having  broken  out  in  Europe  between  Eng- 
land and  France,  their  colonies  in  America  took  up  the 
quarrel.  The  Indians  of  Canada  and  Maine  aided  the  French, 
and  the  Iroquois  (Five  Nations  of  New  York)  assisted  the 
English. 

Attacks  upon  the  Colonists. — War  parties  of  the 
French  and  Indians  coming  down  on  their  snow-shoes  from 
Canada  through  the  forest  in  the  depth  of  winter,  fell  upon 
the  exposed  settlements  of  New  York  and  New  England. 
The  most  horrible  barbarities  were  committed.  Schenectady, 
unsuspecting  and  defenceless,  was  attacked  at  midnight. 
Men,  women,  and  children  were  dragged  from  their  beds  and 
tomahawked.  The  few  who  escaped,  half-naked,  made  their 
way  through  the  snow  of  that  fearful  night  to  Albany.* 


*  The  histories  of  the  time  abomnd  in  thrilling  stories  of  Indian  adventure.  One 
day  in  March,  1697,  Haverhill,  Mass.,  was  attacked.  Mr.  Dustin  was  at  work  in  the 
field.  Hurrying  to  his  house  he  brought  out  his  seven  children  and  bidding  tnem 
"  run  ahead,"  he  slowly  retreated,  keeping  the  Indians  back  with  his  gnn.  He  thus 
broaght  off  his  little  flock  in  safety.  His  wife,  who  was  unable  to  escape  with  him, 
was  dragged  into  captivity.  The  party  who  had  captured  Mrs.  Dustin  marched  many 
days  through  the  forest,  and  at  length  reached  an  island  in  the  Merrimac.  Here  she 
resolved  to  escape.  A  white  boy,  who  had  been  taken  prisoner  before,  found  out 
from  his  master,  at  Mrs.  Dnstin's  request,  how  to  strike  a  blow  that  would  produce 
instant  death,  and  how  to  take  off  a  scalp.  Having  learned  these  fact*,  in  the  night 


78 


UNITED    STATES    HISTORY. 


[1690. 


THE    INDIAN    ATTACK    ON    SCHENECTADY. 

Attacks  by  the  Colonists. — Aroused  by  these  scenes  of 
savage  ferocity  the  colonists  organized  two  expeditions,  one 
under  Governor  Phipps  of  Massachusetts,  against  Port  Royal, 
Acadia,  and  the  other  a  combined  land  and  naval  attack 
on  Canada,  The  former  was  successful,  and  secured,  it  is  said, 
plunder  enough  to  pay  the  expenses  of  the  expedition.  The 
latter  was  a  disastrous  failure. 

Peace.— .The  war  lasted  eight  years.  It  was  ended  by  the 
treaty  of  Ryswick  (riz'-wik).  Each  party  held  the  territory 
it  liad  at  the  beginning  of  the  war. 

ehe  awoke  the  boy  and  her  nurse,  and  arranged  their  parts.  The  task  was  soon 
done.  Seizing  each  a  tomahawk  they  killed  ten  of  the  sleeping  Indians ;  only  one 
escaped.  Scalping  the  dead  bodies  in  order  to  prove  her  story  when  she  reached 
home,  she  hastened  to  the  hank,  where,  finding  a  canoe,  they  descended  the  river  and 
soon  rejoined  her  family. 


1702.]  EPOCH    II.  79 

II.     QUEEN    ANNE'S    WAR. 
(1702-1713.) 

Cause.' — England  declaring  war  against  France  and  Spain, 
hostilities  soon  broke  out  between  their  colonies.  The  Five 
Nations  had  made  a  treaty  with  the  French,  and  so  took  no 
part  in  the  contest  Their  neutrality  protected  New  York 
from  invasion.  The  brunt  of  the  war,  therefore,  fell  on  New 
England. 

Attacks  upon  the  Colouists. — The  New  England  fron- 
tier was  again  desolated.*  Eemote  settlements  were  aban- 
doned. The  people  betook  themselves  to  palisaded  houses,  and 
worked  their  farms  with  their  guns  always  at  hand. 

Attacks  by  the  Colonistst — 1.  At  the  South. — South 
Carolina  made  a  fruitless  expedition  against  her  old  enemies 
at  Si  Augustine  (1702).f 

2.  At  the  North. — Port  Eoyal  was  again  wrested  from 
the  French  by  a  combined  force  of  English  and  colonial 

*  On  the  last  night  of  February,  1704,  while  the  enow  was  four  feet  deep,  a" 
party  of  ahout  three  hundred  and  fifty  French  and  Indians  reached  a  pine  forest 
near  Deerfield,  Mass.  Skulking  a  bout  till  the  unfaithful  sentinels  deserted  the  mom- 
ing  watch,  they  rushed  upon  the  defenceless  slumberers,  who  awoke  from  their 
dreams  to  death  or  captivity.  Leaving  behind  the  blazing  village  with  forty-seven 
dead  bodies  to  be  consumed  amid  the  wreck,  they  started  back  with  their  train  of  one 
hundred  and  twelve  captives.  The  horrors  of  that  march  through  the  wilderness  can 
•  never  be  told.  The  groan  of  helpless  exhaustion,  or  the  wail  of  suffering  childhood, 
was  instantly  stilled  by  the  pitiless  tomahawk.  Mrs.  Williams,  the  feeble  wife  of 
the  minister,  had  remembered  her  Bible  in  the  midst  of  surprise,  and  comforted 
herself  with  its  promises,  till,  her  strength  failing,  she  commended  her  five  captive 
children  to  God  and  bent  to  the  savage  blow  of  the  war-axe.  One  of  her  daughter*! 
<rrew  up  in  captivity,  embraced  the  Catholic  faith,  and  became  the  wife  of  a  chief. 
Fears  after  she  visited  her  friends  in  Deerfleld.  The  whole  village  joined  in  a  fast 
for  her  deliverance,  but  her  heart  loved  best  her  own  Mohawk  children,  and  she  went 
back  to  the  fires  of  her  Indian  wigwam. 

t  Four  years  after,  the  French  and  Spanish  in  Havana  sent  a  fleet  against  Charles- 
ton. The  people,  however,  valiantly  defended  themselves,  and  soon  drove  off  their 
assailants. 


80  UNITED    STATES    HISTORY.  [1710. 

troops.  In  honor  of  the  queen,  the  name  was  changed  to 
Annapolis.  Another  expedition  sailed  against  Quebec,  but 
many  of  the  ships  were  dashed  upon  the  rocks  in  the  St. 
Lawrence  and  nearly  one  thousand  men  perished.  Thus 
ended  the  second  attempt  for  the  conquest  of  Canada. 

Peace. — The  war  lasted  eleven  years.  It  was  ended  by 
the  treaty  of  Utrecht  (u-trekt).  Acadia  was  ceded  to  Eng- 
land. 


III.    KING    GEORGE'S    WAR.* 
(1744-1748.) 

Capture  of  Louisburg. — "War  again  breaking  out  be- 
tween England  and  France,  the  flame  was  soon  kindled  in  the 
new  world.  The  only  event  of  importance  was  the  capture 
of  Louisburgf  on  the  island  of  Cape  Breton,  by  a  combined 
force  of  English  and  colonial  troops.  The  latter  did  most  of 
the  fighting,  but  the  former  took  the  glory  and  the  booty. 

*  This  war  was  immediately  preceded  by  what  is  known  as  the  "  SPANISH  WAB." 
It  grew  out  of  the  difficulties  then  existing  between  England  and  Spain.  It  was 
marked  by  no  important  event  in  the  colonies.  Governor  Oglethorpe  invested  (1740)  St. 
Augustine  with  a  force  of  two  thousand  men,  but  the  strength  of  the  Spanish  garri- 
son, and  the  loss  by  sickness,  caused  the  attempt  to  be  abandoned.  The  Spaniards, 
in  their  turn,  sent  (1742)  an  expedition  against  Georgia.  By  means  of  a  letter  which 
Governor  Oglethorpe  caused  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  Spaniards  they  were  made 
to  believe  that  he  expected  large  reinforcements.  Being  frightened  they  burned  the 
fort  they  had  captured,  and  fled  in  haste.  The  colonies,  also,  furnished  about  four 
thousand  men  for  an  expedition  against  the  Spanish  settlements  in  the  West  Indies. 
Only  a  few  hundred  ever  returned  from  this  disastrous  enterprise. 

t  This  had  been  called  the  "  Gibraltar  of  America."  The  fortifications  were  very 
extensive,  and  cost  upward  of  $5,000,000.  The  siege  was  conducted  in  the  most  un- 
scientific way.  The  colonial  troops  laughed  at  military  terms  and  discipline.  When 
the  place  was  captured  they  were  themselves  astonished  at  what  they  had  done.  The 
achievement  called  forth  great  rejoicing  over  the  country,  especially  in  New  England, 
and  had  an  influence  on  the  Revolutionary  War,  thirty  years  after.  Colonel  Gridley, 
who  planned  General  Pepperell's  batteries  in  this  siege,  laid  out  the  American  en- 
trenchments on  Bunker  Hill.  The  same  old  drums  that  beat  the  triumphal  entrance 
of  the  New  Englanders  into  Louisburg,  June  17,  1745,  beat  at  Bunker  Hill  June  17, 
1775.  "  When  General  Gage  was  erecting  entrenchments  on  Boston  Neck,  the  pro- 
vincials sneeringly  remarked  that  his  mud  walls  were  nothing  compared  to  the  stone 
walls  of  old  Louieburg." 


1748.]  EPOCH  ii.  81 

Peace  being  made  in  1748  by  the  treaty  of  Aix-la-Chapelle 
(akes-la-sha-pel),  England  gave  back  Louisburg  to  the  French. 
The  boundaries  between  the  French  and  English  colonies  were 
left  undecided,  and  so  the  germ  of  a  new  war  remained. 


IV.    FRENCH   AND    INDIAN   WAR. 
(1754^1763.) 

Cause. — The  English  occupied  at  this  time  a  narrow  strip 
along  the  coast  one  thousand  miles  in  length.  It  was  like  a 
string  to  the  great  bow  of  the  French  territory  which  reached 
around  from  Quebec  to  New  Orleans,  Both  nations  claimed 
the  region  west  of  the  Alleghany  Mountains,  along  the  Ohio 
Kiver.  The  three  previous  inter-colonial  wars  had  engendered 
the  most  bitter  hatred.  Occasions  of  quarrel  were  abundant 
The  French  had  over  sixty  military  posts  guarding  the  long 
line  of  then*  possessions.  They  seized  the  English  surveyors 
along  the  Ohio.*  They  broke  up  a  British  post  on  the 
Miami.f  They  built  a  fort  at  Presque  Isle  (pres-keel)  near 
the  present  town  of  Erie,  Penn. ;  another,  Fort  le  Bosuf  (le 
buf),  at  the  present  town  of  Waterford;  and  a  third,  Forfc 
Venango,  about  twelve  miles  south,  on  French  Creek.  These 
encroachments  awakened  the  liveliest  solicitude  on  the  part  of 
the  colonists. 

Washington's  Journey. — Din-wid'-die,  lieutenant-gov- 
ernor of  Virginia,  sent  a  message  by  George  Washington,  then 
a  young  man  of  twenty-one,  to  the  French  commander  of 
these  forts,  asking  then-  removal  Washington,  the  very  day 

*  By  French  and  English  both,  the  claims  of  the  real  proprietors,  the  Indians, 
were  overlooked.  The  Indians,  feeling  this,  sent  to  the  agent  of  the  Ohio  Company 
this  pertinent  query,  "  Where  is  the  Indian's  land?  The  English  claim  all  on  one 
side  of  the  river,  the  French  all  on  the  other.  Where  does  our  land  lie  ?" 

t  Their  Indian  allies  capturing  the  Miami  chief  who  defended  his  English  friends, 
killed  and  ate  him,  in  true  savage  style. 


UNITED     STATES     HISTORY. 


[1753. 


he  received  his  credentials,  set  out  on  his  perilous  journey 
through  the  wilderness  from  Williamsburg  to  Lake  Erie.  He 
found  the  French  officer  at  Fort  Venango  loud  and  boastful. 
At  Fort  le  Bceuf  the  commandant,  St.  Pierre  (sang  pe-are), 
treated  him  with  great  respect ;  but,  like  a  true  soldier,  refused 
to  discuss  theories,  and  declared  himself  under  orders  which 


he  should  obey.  It  was  clear  that  France  was  determined  to 
hold  the  territory  explored  by  the  heroic  La  Salle  and  Mar- 
quette.  The  shore  in  front  of  the  fort  was  even  then  lined 
with  canoes  ready  for  an  intended  expedition  down  the 
river.  Washington's  return  through  the  wilderness,  a  distance 
of  four  hundred  miles,  was  full  of  peril.*  He  at  last  reached 
home  unharmed,  and  delivered  St.  Pierre's  reply. 

*  The  streams  were  swollen.  The  snow  was  falling  and  freezing  as  it  fell.  The 
horses  ^ave  ont,  and  he  was  forced  to  proceed  on  foot.  With  only  one  companion 
he  quitted  the  usual  path,  and,  with  the  compass  as  his  guide,  struck  boldly  out 


1754.]  EPOCHII.  83 

War  Opens. — Early  the  next  spring  the  French,  at  the 
fork  of  the  Monongahela  and  Alleghany,  drove  off  a  party  of 
English  traders  and  erected  a  fort,  which  was  called  Du 
Quesne  (doo-kane).  Soon,  among  the  blackened  stumps,  corn 
and  barley  were  growing  on  the  present  site  of  Pittsburg.  In 
the  meantime  a  regiment  of  Virginia  troops,  under  Colonel 
Frye,  Washington  being  second  in  command,  had  been  sent 
out  to  occupy  this  important  point.  Learning  that  the  French 
had  anticipated  them,  Washington  hastened  forward  with  a 
reconnoitering  party.  Jumonville  (zhoo-mong-veel),  who  was 
hiding  among  the  rocks  with  a  company  of  French  troops, 
waiting  an  opportunity  to  attack  him,  was  himself  surprised 
and  defeated.*  Colonel  Frye  dying  soon  after,  Washington 
assumed  command.  Collecting  the  troops  at  the  Great 
Meadows,  he  erected  a  stockade,  which  he  aptly  named  Fort 
Necessity.  Here  he  was  attacked  by  a  large  force  of  French 
and  Indians,  and  after  a  severe  conflict  was  compelled  to  ca- 
pitulate. 

The  Five  Objective  Points  of  the  War.— 1.  Fort  du 
Quesne  was  the  key  to  the  region  west  of  the  AUeghanies,  and 
as  long  as  the  French  held  it,  Virginia  and  Pennsylvania  were 
exposed  to  Indian  attacks.  2.  The  possession  of  Louisburg 
and  Acadia  threatened  New  England,  while  it  gave  control 
over  the  Newfoundland  fisheries.  French  privateers  harbored 
there,  darted  out  and  captured  English  ships,  and  then  re- 
turned where  they  were  safe  from  pursuit  3.  Crown  Point 
and  Ticonderoga  controlled  the  route  to  Canada  by  the  way 

through  the  forest.  An  Indian,  lying  in  wait,  fired  at  him  only  a  few  paces  off,  but 
missing,  was  captured.  Attempting  to  cross  the  Alleghany  on  a  rude  raft,  they  were 
caught  in  the  trembling  ice.  Washington  thrust  out  his  pole  to  check  the  speed,  but 
was  jerked  into  the  foaming  water.  Swimming  to  an  island,  he  barely  saved  his 
life.  Fortunately,  in  the  morning  the  river  was  frozen  over,  and  he  escaped  on 
the  ice. 

*  Washington's  word  of  command  to  "fire  !"  on  that  skulking  foe,  on  the  night 
of  May  28,  1754,  was  the  opening  of  the  campaign.  Washington  himself,  it  is  said, 
fired  the  first  gun  of  that  long  and  bloody  war. 


84  UNITED    STATES    HISTOKY.  [1754 

of  Lake  George  and  Lake  Champlain,  and  also  offered  a  safe 
starting-point  for  French  expeditions  against  New  York  and 
New  England.  4.  Niagara  lay  on  the  portage  between  Lake 
Erie  and  Lake  Ontario,  and  thus  protected  the  great  fur  trade 
of  the  upper  lakes  and  the  west  5.  Quebec  being  the  strong- 
est fortification  in  Canada,  gave  control  of  the  St.  Lawrence, 
and  largely  decided  the  possession  of  that  province. 

We  thus  see  why  these  points  were  so  persistently  attacked 
by  the  English,  and  so  obstinately  defended  by  the  French. 
\Ve  shall  speak  of  them  in  order. 

1.  Fort  du  Quesne.— The  First  Expedition  (1755) 
was  commanded  by  General  Braddock,  Washington  acting  as 
aid-de-camp.  The  general  was  a  regular  British  officer,  proud 
and  conceited.  Washington  warned  him  of  the  dangers  of 
savage  warfare,  but  his  suggestions  were  received  with  con- 
tempt* The  column  came  within  ten  miles  of  the  fort, 
marching  along  the  Monongahela  in  regular  array,  drums 
beating  and  colors  flying.  Suddenly,  in  ascending  a  little 
slope,  with  a  deep  ravine  and  thick  underbrush  on  either  side, 
they  encountered  the  Indians  lying  in  ambush.  The  terrible 
war  whoop  resounded  on  every  side.  The  British  regulars 
huddled  together,  and,  frightened,  fired  by  platoons,  at  random, 
against  rocks  and  trees.  The  Virginia  troops  alone  sprang 
into  the  forest  and  fought  the  savages  in  Indian  style.  Wash- 
ington seemed  everywhere  present  An  Indian  chief  with  his 
braves  especially  singled  him  out.f  Four  balls  passed  through 
his  clothes.  Two  horses  were  shot  under  him.  Braddock 
was  mortally  wounded  and  borne  from  the  field.  At  last, 
when  the  continental  troops  were  nearly  all  killed,  the  regu- 

*  "The  Indians,"  said  he,  "may  frighten  continental  troops,  but  they  can 
make  no  impression  on  the  king's  regulars  !" 

t  Fifteen  years  after,  this  old  Indian  chief  came  "a  long  way"  to  see  the  Virginia 
officer  at  whom  he  fired  a  rifle  fifteen  times  without  hitting  him,  during  the  Monon- 
gahela  fight.  Washington  never  received  a  wound  in  battle. 


1755.]  EPOCH    II.  85 

lars  turned  and  fled  disgracefully,  abandoning  everything  to 
the  foe.  Washington  covered  their  flight  and  saved  the  wreck 
of  the  army  from  pursuit 

Second  Expedition  (1758). — General  Forbes  led  the  second 
expedition,  Washington  commanding  the  Virginia  troops. 
The  general  lost  so  much  time  in  building  roads  that  he  was 
fifty  miles  from  the  fort  in  November.  A  council  of  war  had 
decided  to  give  up  the  attempt  But  Washington  receiving 
news  of  the  weakness  of  the  French  garrison,  urged  a  forward 
movement  He  himself  led  the  advance  guard,  and  by  his 
vigilance  dispelled  all  danger  of  Indian  surprise.  The  French 
fired  the  fort,  and  fled  at  his  approach.  As  the  flag  of  Eng- 
land floated  out  over  the  ruined  ramparts,  this  gateway  of  the 
west  was  named  Pittsburg.* 

2.  Acadia  and  Louisburg. — 1.  Acadia. — Scarcely  had 
the  war  commenced  than  an  attack  was  made  on  Acadia. 
The  French  forts  at  the  head  of  the  Bay  of  Fundy  were 
quickly  taken,  and  the  entire  region  east  of  the  Penobscot  fell 
into  the  hands  of  the  English,  f 

2.  Louisburg  (1757). — General  Loudoun  collected  an  army 
at  Halifax  ,for  an  attack  on  Louisburg.  After  spending  all 
summer  in  drilling  his  troops,  "  he  gave  up  the  attempt  on 
learning  that  the  French  fleet  contained  one  more  ship  than 
his  own !"  The  next  year  Generals  Amherst  and  Wolfe  cap- 


*  This  was  in  honor  of  William  Pitt,  prime  minister  of  England,  whose  true 
friendship  for  the  colonies  was  warmly  appreciated  in  America.  He  came  into 
power  in  1758,  and  from  that  time  the  war  took  on  a  different  aspect. 

t  This  victory  was  disgraced  by  an  act  of  heartless  cruelty.  The  Acadians  were  a 
simple-minded,  rural  people.  They  readily  gave  up  their  arms  and  meekly  submit- 
ted to  their  conquerors.  But  the  English  authorities  coveting  their  rich  farms,  drove 
oH  and  young  on  board  the  ships  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet,  and  distributed  them 
among  the  colonies.  Families  were  broken  up,  their  homes  burned,  and,  poor 
exiles,  the  broken-hearted  Acadians  met  everywhere  only  insult  and  abuse.  Long- 
fellow, in  his  beautiful  poem  Evangeline,  has  revived  in  the  present  generation  a 
warm  sympathy  for  these  people,  whose  misfortunes  he  has  so  pathetically  r& 
corded. 


86  UNITED     STATES     HISTORY.  [1758. 

tured  the  city  after  a  severe  bombardment,  and  took  posses- 
sion of  the  entire  island.* 

3.  Crown  Point  and  Ticonderoga. — 1.  Battle  of  Lake 
George. — About  the  time  of  Braddock's  expedition,  another 
was  undertaken  against  Crown  Point  The  French  under 
Dieskauf  (de-es-ko)  were  met  near  the  head  of  Lake  George.} 
Fortunately,  General  Johnson,  being  slightly  wounded,  early 
in  the  action  retired  to  his  tent,  whereupon  General  Lyman, 
with  his  provincial  troops,  regained  the  battle  then  nearly  lost. 
This  victory  following  closely  on  the  heels  of  Braddock's  dis- 
aster, excited  great  joy.  Johnson  was  voted  knighthood  and 
$25,000.  Lyman,  the  real  victor,  received  nothing.  This 
battle  ended  the  attempt  to  take  Crown  Point.  Johnson 
loitered  away  the  summer  in  building  a  fort  near  by,  which 
he  called  William  Henry.  §  In  the  fall  he  returned  to  Albany 
and  disbanded  his  troops. 

2.  Attack  on  Ticonderoga. — On  a  calm  Sunday  morning, 
about  four  months  before  the  fall  of  Fort  du  Quesne,  a  thou- 
sand boats  full  of  soldiers,  with  waving  flags  and  strains  of 
martial  music,  swept  down  Lake  George  to  attack  Ticon- 

*  Abandoning  Louisburg,  the  English  made  Halifax,  as  it  is  to-day,  their  rendez- 
vous in  that  region. 

t  The  brave  Dieskau  was  severely  wounded.  In  the  pursuit,  a  soldier  found  him 
leaning  against  a  stump.  As  he  fumbled  for  his  watch  to  propitiate  his  enemy,  the 
soldier  thinking  him  to  be  searching  for  his  pistol,  shot  him. 

\  Johnson,  the  English  commander,  received  word  of  the  approach  of  the  enemy, 
and  sent  oat  Colonel  Williams  with  twelve  hundred  men  to  stop  them.  In  the  skir- 
mish Williams  was  killed.  He  was  the  real  founder  of  Williams  College,  having  by 
his  will,  made  while  on  his  way  to  battle,  bequeathed  a  certain  amount  to  found  a 
free  school  for  Western  Massachn  setts. 

§  Two  years  after,  Montcalm,  the  new  French  general,  swept  down  from  Canaf  a 
and  captured  this  fort  with  its  garrison,  although  Webb  was  at  Fort  Edward,  four- 
teen miles  below,  with  six  thousand  men  lying  idly  in  camp.  The  victory  is  noted 
for  an  illustration  of  savage  treachery.  The  English  had  been  guaranteed  a  safe 
escort  to  Fort  Edward.  But  they  had  scarcely  left  the  fort  than  the  Indians  fell  upon 
them  to  plunder  and  to  slaughter.  In  vain  did  the  French  officers  peril  their  lives  to 
save  their  captives  from  the  lawless  tomahawk.  "  Kill  me,"  cried  Montcalm  in  def- 
peration,  but  spare  the  English,  who  are  under  my  protection."  But  the  Indian 
fury  was  implacable,  and  the  march  of  the  prisoners  to  Fort  Edward  became  a  flight 
for  life. 


1758.]  EPOCH    II.  8? 

deroga.  General  Abercrombie  ordered  an  assault  before  his 
artillery  came  up,  and  while  the  battle  raged  lay  hid  away  in 
the  rear.  A  disastrous  repulse  was  the  result* 

3.  Capture  of  both  Forts.— The  next  year  (1759),  at  the 
approach  of  General  Amherst  with  a  large  army,  both  Ticon- 
deroga  and  Crown  Point  were  evacuated. 

4.  Niagara. — 1.  About  the   time  of  Braddock's   expedi- 
tion  General  Shirley  marched    to    capture    Niagara,      But 
reaching  Oswego  and  learning  of  that  disastrous  defeat,  he 
was  discouraged.    He  simply  built  a  fort  and  came  home.f 

2.  Nothing  further  was  done  toward  the  capture  of  this  im- 
portant fort  for  four  years,  when  it  was  invested  by  General 
PrideauxJ  (pre-do).  In  spite  of  desperate  attempts  made  to 
relieve  the  garrison,  it  was  at  last  compelled  to  surrender 
(1759).  New  York  was  thus  extended  to  Niagara  Eiver,  and 
the  West  was  secured  to  the  English. 

5.  Quebec  (1759). — The  same  summer  in  which  Niagara, 
Crown  Point,  and  Ticonderoga  §  were  occupied  by  the  English, 
General  "Wolfe  anchored  with  a  large  fleet  and  eight  thousand 
land  troops  hi  front  of  Quebec.     Opposed  to  him  was  the 
vigilant  French  General  Montcalm,  with  a  command  equal  to 
his  own.    The  English  cannon  easily  destroyed  the  lower  city, 
next  the  river,  but  the  citadel,  being  on  higher  ground,  was 

*  While  the  main  army  was  delaying  after  this  failure,  Colonel  Bradstreet  obtained 
permission  to  go  against  Fort  Frontenac,  on  the  present  site  of  Kingston.    Crossing 
the  lake  he  captured  the  fort  and  a  large  quantity  of  stores  intended  for  Fort  Du 
Quesne.    The  loss  disheartened  the  garrison  of  the  latter  place,  frightened  off  their 
Indian  allies,  and   did   much   to   cause   its    evacuation   on   the  approach  of  the 
English. 

+  The  next  year  that  indefatigable  general,  Montcalm,  cro?sed  the  lake  from 
Canada  and  captured  this  fort  with  its  garrison  and  a  large  amount  of  publis 
stores. 

*  He  was  accidentally  killed  during  the  siege,  bnt  his  successor,  Johnson,  satisfac- 
torily carried  out  his  plans. 

§  It  was  expected  that,  the  two  armies  engaged  in  the  capture  of  these  forts  would 
join  Wolfe  in  the  attack  on  Quebec ;  but  for  various  reasons  they  made  no  attempt  to 
do  so,  and  Wolfe  was  left  to  perform  his  task  alone. 


UNITED    STATES    HISTOEY.  [1759. 


QUEBEC   IN   EARLY   TIMES. 


far  out  of  their  reach.  The  bank  of  the  river,  for  miles  a 
high  craggy  wall,  bristled  with  cannon  at  every  landing-place. 
For  months  he  lingered  before  the  city  vainly  seeking  some 
feasible  point  of  attack.  Carefully  reconnoitering  the  precip- 
itous bluff  above  the  city,  his  sharp  eyes  at  length  discovered  a 
narrow  path  winding  among  the  rocks  to  the  top.  He  deter- 
mined to  lead  his  army  up  this  ascent.*  Dropping  silently 
down  by  night  with  the  tide,  his  men  landed,  clambered  up 


*  General  Wolfe  was  a  great  admirer  of  the  poet  Gray.  As  he  went  the  rounds  for 
final  inspection  on  the  beautiful  starlight  evening  before  the  attack,  he  remarked  to 
those  in  the  boat  with  him,  "  I  would  rather  be  the  author  of  that  poem — (he  Elegy 
in  a  Country  Churchyard— than  to  have  the  glory  of  beating  the  French  to-morrow  ;** 
And  amid  the  rippling  of  the  water  and  the  dashing  of  the  oars  he  repeated: 

"  The  boast  of  heraldry,  the  pomp  of  power, 

And  all  that  beauty,  all  that  wealth  e'er  gave, 
Await  alike  the  inevitable  hour  ; 
The  paths  of  glory  lead  but  to  the  grave." 


1759.] 


EPOCH    II.  89 


the  steep  cliff,  *  quickly  dispersed  the  guard,  and  at  day-break 
he  stood  with  his  entire  army  drawn  up  in  order  of  battle  on 
the  Plains  of  Abraham.  Montcalm,  astonished  at  the  audac- 
ity of  the  attempt,  could  scarcely  believe  it  possible.  When 
convinced  of  its  truth  he  at  once  made  an  impetuous  attack. 
Wolfe's  veterans  held  their  fire  until  the  French  were  close  at 
hand,  then  poured  upon  them  rapid,  steady  volleys.  The 
enemy  soon  wavered.  Wolfe,  placing  himself  at  the  head, 
now  ordered  a  bayonet  charge.  Already  twice  wounded,  he 
still  pushed  forward.  A  third  ball  struck  him.  He  was  car- 
ried to  the  rear.  "  They  run !  They  run !"  exclaimed  the 
officer  on  whom  he  leaned.  "  Who  run  ?"  he  faintly  gasped. 
"The  French,"  was  the  reply.  "Now  God  be  praised,  I  die 
happy,"  murmured  the  expiring  hero.  Montcalm,  too,  was 
fatally  wounded  as  he  was  vainly  trying  to  rally  the  fugitives. 
On  being  told  by  the  surgeon  that  he  could  not  live  more 
than  twelve  hours,  he  answered,  "  So  much  the  better.  I  shall 
not  see  the  surrender  of  Quebec." 

Five  days  afterward  (September  18,  1759,)  the  city  and  gar- 
rison capitulated. 

Close  of  the  War.f  Peace. — The  next  year  an  at- 
tempt was  made  to  re-capture  Quebec.  But  a  powerful  fleet 
arrived  from  England  in  time  to  raise  the  siege.  A  large 
army  marched  upon  Montreal.  Soon  Canada  submitted. 
The  English  flag  now  waved  over  all  the  continent,  from  the 
Arctic  Ocean  to  the  Mississippi.  Peace  was  made  at  Paris  in 
1763.  Spain  ceded  Florida  to  England.  France  gave  up  all 


*  Although  Wolfe  rose  from  a  sick  bed  to  lead  his  troops,  he  was  the  first  man  to 
land.  The  fhore  was  lined  with  French  sentinels.  A  captain  who  understood 
French  and  had  been  assigned  this  duty,  answered  the  challenge  of  the  sentinel  near 
the  landing,  and  thus  warded  off  the  first  danger  of  alarm. 

+  The  five  points  which  were  especially  sought  by  the  English  were  now  all  cap- 
tured. Canada  itself,  worn  out,  impoverished,  and  almost  in  famine,  because  of  the 
long  war,  was  ready  for  peace. 


90  UNITED     STATES     HISTOEY.  [1763. 

the  territory  east  of  the  Mississippi,  except  two  small  islands 
south  of  Newfoundland,  retained  as  fishing  stations.  Xew 
Orleans,  and  all  the  country  she  owned  west  of  the  Missis- 
sippi, France  ceded  to  Spain. 

Fontiac's  War. — The  French  traders  and  missionaries 
had  won  the  hearts  of  the  Indians.  When  the  more 
haughty  English  came  to  take  possession  of  the  western  forts, 
great  discontent  was  roused.  Pontiac,  a  chief  of  the  Ottawa?, 
Philip-lik^,  formed  a  confederation  of  the  tribes  against  the 
common  foe.  It^as  secretly  agreed  to  fall  at  once  upon  all 
the  British  posts!^5ight  forts  were  thus  surprised  and  cap- 
tured.* Thousands  of  persons  fled  from  their  homes  to  avoid 
the  scalping  knife.  At  last  the  Indians,  disagreeing  among 
themselves,  deserted  the  alliance,  and  a  treaty  was  signed. 
Pontiac,  still  revengeful,  fled  to  the  hunting-grounds  of  the 
Illinois.  Here  he  was  stabbed  by  a  Peorian  Indian,  while 
endeavoring  to  incite  another  attack. 

Effects  cf  the  French  and  Indian  War. — In  this 
war  the  colonists  spent  $16,000,000,  and  England  repaid  only 
$5,000,000.  They  lost  thirty  thousand  men.  They  suflered 
the  untold  horrors  of  Indian  barbarity.  The  taxes  were 
sometimes  equal  to  two-thirds  the  income  of  the  tax-payer; 
yet  they  were  levied  by  their  own  representatives,  and  they 


*  Various  stratagems  were  employed  to  accomplish  their  designs.  At  Manmee,  a 
squaw  lured  forth  the  commander  by  imploring  aid  for  an  Indian  woman  dying  outside 
the  fort.  Once  without,  he  was  at  the  mercy  of  the  ambushed  savages.  At  Macki- 
naw hundreds  of  Indians  had  gathered.  Commencing  a  game  at  ball,  one  party 
drove  the  other,  as  if  by  accident,  toward  the  fort.  The  soldiers  were  attracted  to 
watch  the  game.  At  length  the  ball  was  thrown  over  the  pickets,  and  the  Indians 
jumping  after  it,  began  the  terrible  butchery.  The  commander.  Major  Henry,  writ- 
ing in  his  room,  heard  the  war-cry  and  the  shrieks  of  the  victims,  and  rushing  to  his 
window  beheld  the  savage  work  of  the  tomahawk  and  the  scalping-knife.  Amid  un- 
told perils  he  himself  escaped.  At  Detroit,  the  plot  was  betrayed  by  a  squaw,  and 
when  the  chiefs  were  admitted  to  their  proposed  council  for  "  brightening  the  chain 
of  friendship,"  they  found  themselves  surrounded  by  an  armed  garrison.  Pontiac 
was  allowed  to  escape.  Two  days  after  he  commenced  a  siege  which  lasted  several 
months. 


1763.]  EPOCH    II.  91 

did  not  murmur.  The  men  of  different  colonies  and  diverse 
ideas  fought  shoulder  to  shoulder,  and  many  sectional  jeal- 
ousies were  allayed.  They  learned  to  think  and  act  independ- 
ently of  the  mother  country.  Thus  they  came  to  know  their 
strength.  Democratic  ideas  had  taken  root,  legislative  bodie? 
had  been  called,  troops  raised  and  supplies  voted,  not  by  Eng- 
land, but  by  themselves.  They  had  become  fond  of  liberty. 
They  knew  their  rights  and  dared  maintain  them.  When 
they  voted  money  they  kept  the  purse  in  their  own  hands. 

The  treatment  of  the  British  officers  helped  also  to  unite 
the  colonists.  They  made  sport  of  the  awkward  provincial 
soldiers.  The  best  American  officers  were  often  thrust  aside 
to  make  place  for  young  British  subalterns.  But,  in  spite  of 
sneers,  Washington,  Gates,  Montgomery,  Stark,  Arnold,  Mor- 
gan, Putnam,  all  received  their  training,  and  learned  how, 
when  the  time  came,  to  fight  even  British  regulars. 


CONDITION  OF  TFJE  COLONIES. 

There  were  now  thirteen  colonies.  They  numbered  about 
2,000,000  people.  The  largest  cities  were  Boston  and  Phila- 
delphia, each  containing  about  eighteen  thousand  inhabitants. 
Three  forms  of  government  existed  —  charter,  proprietary, 
and  royal.*  The  colonies  were  now  all  Protestant.  The 
intolerant  religious  spirit  of  early  days  had  moderated. 
There  had  been  a  gradual  assimilation  of  manners  and  cus- 
toms. They  had,  in  a  word,  become  Americans.  Nine  col- 
leges had  already  been  established-!  Agriculture  was  the 

*  Massachusetts,  Rhode  Island,  and  Connecticut,  had  charter  governments.  Mary- 
land and  Pennsylvania  (with  Delaware)  were  proprietary — that  is,  their  proprietors 
governed  them.  Georgia,  Virginia,  New  Hampshire,  New  York,  New  Jersey,  and 
the  Canadas,  were  directly  subject  to  the  crown.  (The  last  three  were  at  first  pro- 
prietary,  but  afterward  became  royal.) 

t  These  were  Harvard,  William  and  Mary,  Yale,  Princeton,  Columbia  (originaUj 


92  UNITED    STATES    ^ISTOBT.  [176a 

main  dependence  of  the  people.*  Manufactures,  even  at  this 
early  period,  received  much  attention  at  the  north.  Hats, 
paper,  shoes,  household  furniture,  farming  utensils,  and  the 
coarser  kinds  of  cutlery  were  made  to  some  extent.  Cloth 
weaving  had  been  introduced-!  Commerce  had  steadily  in- 
creased— principally,  however,  as  coast  trade,  in  consequence  of 
the  oppressive  laws  of  Great  Britain.  The  daring  fishermen 
of  New  England  already  pushed  their  whaling  crafts  far  into 
the  icy  regions  of  the  north. 

The  first  printing-press  was  set  up  at  Cambridge,  in  1639. 
Most  of  the  books  of  this  day  were  collections  of  sermons. 
The  first  permanent  newspaper,  The  Boston  News  Letter,  was 
published  in  1704.  In  1750  there  were  only  seven  news- 
papers. The  Federal  Orrery,  the  first  daily  paper,  was  not 
issued  till  1792.  There  was  a  public  library  in  New  York, 
from  which  books  were  loaned  at  four  and  a  half  pence  per 
week.  The  usual  mode  of  travel  was  on  foot  or  horse- 
back. People  journeyed  largely  by  means  of  coasting  sloops. 
The  trip  from  New  York  to  Philadelphia  occupied  three  days 
if  the  wind  was  fair.  There  was  a  wagon  running  bi-weekly 
from  New  York  .across  New  Jersey.  Conveyances  were  put 
on  in  1766,  which  made  the  unprecedented  time  of  two 
days  from  New  York  to  Philadelphia.  They  were,  therefore, 
termed  "flying  machines."  The  first  stage  route  was  between 
Providence  and  Boston,  taking  two  days  for  the  trip.  A  post- 
office  system  had  been  effected  by  the  combination  of  the 


called  King's),  Brown,  Ruler's  (then  Queen's),  Dartmouth,  and  Hampden  Sidney. 
Educational  interests  were  not  fostered  by  the  English  government.  Only  oi.e. 
donation  was  given  to  found  a  college  in  the  colonies— that  of  William  and 
Mary,  an  institution  named  in  honor  of  these  sovereigns. 

*  Money  was  for  many  years  very  scarce.  In  1635  musket  bullets  were  made  to 
pass  in  place  of  farthings,  the  law  providing  that  not  more  than  twelve  should  be 
given  in  one  payment. 

t  Most  thrifty  people,  however,  wove  their  own.  It  is  said  of  Mrs.  Washington 
that  she  kept  running  sixteen  spinning-wheels. 


1763.]  EPOCH    II.  93 

colonies,  which  united  the  whole  country.*  A  mail  was 
started  in  1672,  between  New  York  and  Boston,  by  way  of 
Hartford.  By  contract  the  round  trip  was  to  be  made 
monthly. 


OLD-FASHIONED   "  STAGE  WAGON." 

Manners  and  Customs. — 1.  The  New  England  people 
were  strict  in  morals,  f  All  conduct  was  shaped  by  a  literal 
interpretation  of  the  Scriptures.  Simplicity  of  manners  and 
living  was  carefully  inculcated.  At  first  the  ministers  had 
almost  entire  control.  A  church  reproof  was  the  heaviest 
punishment,  and  knotty  points  in  theology  caused  the  bitter- 
est discussion.  A  pillion  was  the  grandest  equipage,  and  a 
plain  blue  and  white  gown,  with  primly  starched  apron,  was 
the  common  attire  of  the  New  England  dames. 


*  Benjamin  Franklin  was  one  of  the  early  postmasters-general.  He  made  a  grand 
tour  of  the  country  in  his  chaise,  perfecting  and  maturing  the  plan.  His  daughter 
Sally  accompanied  him,  riding  sometimes  by  his  side  in  the  chaise,  and  sometimes 
on  the  extra  horse  which  he  had  with  him.  It  took  five  months  to  make  the  rounds 
which  could  now  be  performed  in  as  many  days. 

t  Governor  Winthrop  prohibited  cards  and  gaming  tables.  A  man  was  whipped 
for  shooting  fowl  on  Sunday.  No  man  was  allowed  to  keep  tavern  who  did  not 
bear  an  excellent  character  and  possess  property.  The  names  of  drunkards  were 
posted  up  in  the  ale-houses,  and  the  keepers  forbidden  to  sell  them  liquor.  By  order  of 
the  colony  of  Connecticut,  no  person  under  twenty  years  of  age  could  use  any 
tobacco  without  a  physician's  order ;  and  no  one  was  allowed  to  use  it  oftener  than 
once  a  day,  and  then  not  within  ten  miles  of  any  house. 

Articles  of  dress  were  also  limited  or  regulated  bylaw.  No  person  whose  estate 
di  1  not  exceed  £200,  could  wear  "gold  or  silver  lace,  or  any  lace  above  2s.  per 
yard."  The  "  selectmen  "  were  required  to  take  note  of  the  "  apparel "  of  the  peo- 
ple, especially  their  "  ribbands  and  great  boots."  Only  the  gentility,  including  min- 
isters and  their  wives,  received  the  prefix  Mr.  or  Mrs.  to  their  names.  Others,  above 
servitude,  were  called  Goodman  and  Qoodioife. 


94  UNITED    STATES    HISTORY.  [1763. 

2.  The  Middle  Colonies.— In  New  York  the  people  partook 
largely  of  Dutch  habits.*    Laws  of  morality  were  rigidly  en- 
forced, as  in  New  England.    Furniture  and  equipages  were 
extremely  simple.    Carpets  were  hardly  known  before  1750, 
and  each  housekeeper  prided  herself  on  the  purity  of  her 
white-sanded  floor. 

3.  The  Southern  Colonies  differed  widely  from  the  northern 
hi  habits  and  style  of  living.    In  place  of  thickly  settled 
towns  and  villages,  they  had  large  plantations,  and  were  sur- 
rounded by  a  numerous  household  of  servants.    An  estate  in 
those  days  was  a  little  empire.    The  planter  had  among  his 
slaves  men  of  every-  trade.    The  mansion-house  was  large,  and 
fitted  to  the  free-hearted,  open-handed  hospitality  of  its  owner. 
The  negro  quarters  formed  a  hamlet  apart,  with  its  gardens 
and  poultry  yards.    There  were  large  sheds  for  curing  to- 
bacco, and  mills  for  grinding  corn  and  wheat    Everything 
necessary  for  ordinary  use  was  produced  on  the  plantation. 
Their  tobacco  was  put  up  by  their  own  negroes,  and  con- 
signed direct  to  England.    The  flour  of  the  Mount  Vernon 
estate  was  packed  under  the  eye  of  Washington  himself,  and 
we  are  told  that  barrels  of  flour  bearing  his  brand,  passed  in 
the  West  India  market  without  inspection.    A  style  of  luxury 
and  refinement  already  prevailed.    Services  of  plate,  elegant 
equipages,  and  liveried  servants  were  not  uncommon.     Rich 
planters  vied  with  each  other  hi  the  possession  of  the  finest 
horses. 

Education. — 1.  The  Eastern  Colonies. — Next  to  their  re- 
ligion the  Puritans  prized  education.    When  Boston  was  but 


*  Many  customs  inaugurated  by  them  still  remain  in  vogue.  Among  these  is  that 
of  New  Year's  Day  visiting,  of  which  General  Washington  said,  "New  York  will  in 
process  of  years  gradually  change  its  ancient  customs  and  manners  ,  but  whatever 
changes  take  place,  never  forget  the  cordial  observance  of  New  Year's  Day."  So, 
also,  to  the  Dutch  we  owe  our  Christmas  visit  of  Santa  Claus,  colored  eggs  at  Easter, 
doughnuts,  crullers,  and  New  Year's  cookies. 


1636.]  EPOCH    II.  95 

six  years  old,  $2,000  were  appropriated  to  the  seminary  at 
Cambridge,  now  known  as  Harvard  University.  Some  years 
after,  each  family  gave  a  peck  of  corn  or  a  shilling  in  cash  for 
its  support.  Even  earlier  than  this,  common  schools  had  been 
provided,  and  in  1665  every  town  had  a  free  school,  and, 
if  it  contained  over  one  hundred  families,  a  grammar  school* 
In  Connecticut  every  town  that  did  not  keep  a  school  for 
three  months  in  the  year  was  liable  to  a  fine.  The  "  town 
meetings,"  as  they  were  style.d,  were  of  inestimable  value  in 
cultivating  democratic  ideas.  The  young  and  old,  rich  and 
poor,  here  met  on  a  perfect  equality  for  the  discussion  of  all 
local  questions.  In  Hartford,  every  freeman  who  neglected  to 
attend  town  meeting  was  fined  sixpence,  unless  he  had  a  good 
excuse. 

2.  Tlie  Middle  Colonies  had  already  their  colleges  and 
many  humbler  schools  scattered  through  the  towns.  Some  of 
the  New .  York  schools  were  kept  by  Dutch  masters,  who 
taught  English  as  an  accomplishment.  The  Orrery  invented 
by  Dr.  Eittenhouse,  in  1768,  is  still  preserved  in  Princeton  Col- 
lege. No  European  institution  had  its  equaL  At  Lewiston, 
Del.,  is  said  to  have  been  established  the  first  girls'  school  in 
the  colonies.  The  first  school  in  Pennsylvania  was  started 
about  1683,  where  "  reading,  writing,  and  casting  accounts  " 
were  taught,  for  eight  English  shillings  per  annum.  Churches 
were  established  of  the  various  denominations.  The  Swedes 
had  a  meeting-house  erected  even  before  the  landing  of  Penn. 
Ministers'  salaries  were  met  in  different  ways.  In  New  York 
the  Dutch  dominie  was  paid  sometimes  in  wampum.  The 


*  In  1700.  ten  ministers,  having  previously  so  agreed,  brought  together  a  number 
of  books,  each  saying  as  he  laid  down  his  gift,  "  I  five  these  books  for  founding  a 
college  in  Connecticut."  This  was  the  beginning  of  \  ale  College.  It  was  first  es- 
tablished at  Saybrook,  but  in  1716  was  removed  to  New  Haven.  It  was  named  from 
Governor  Yale,  who  befriended  it  most  generously. 


90  UNITED    STATES    HISTORY.  [1763. 

dominie  of  Albany  at  one  time  received  one  hundred  and 
fifty  beaver  skins. 

3.  The  Southern  Colonies  met  with  great  difficulties  in 
their  efforts  to  establish  schools.  Though  Virginia  boasts  of 
the  second  oldest  college,  yet  her  'English  governors  bitterly 
opposed  the  progress  of  education.  Governor  Berkeley,  of 
whose  haughty  spirit  we  have  already  heard,  said,  "  I  thank 
God  there  are  no  free  schools  nor  printing-presses  here,  and  I 
hope  we  shall  not  have  them  these  hundred  years."  The 
restrictions  upon  the  press  were  so  great  that  no  newspaper 
was  published  in  Virginia  until  1736,  and  that  was  controlled 
by  the  government  Free  schools  were  established  in  Mary- 
land in  1696,  and  a  free  school  in  Charleston,  S.  C.,  in  1712. 
Private  schools  were  early  established  by  the  colonists  in 
every  neighborhood.  A  farm  of  one  hundred  acres  was  set 
apart  by  law  for  each  clergyman,  and  also  a  portion  of  the 
"best  and  first  gathered  corn"  and  tobacco.  Absence  from 
church  was  fined*  In  Georgia,  masters  were  compelled  to 
send  their  slaves  to  church,  under  a  penalty  of  £5. 

Summary  of  the  History  of  the  Second  Epoch,  arranged 
in  Chronological  Order. 

PAGE 

1607.  Jamestown  founded  by  London  Company.    First  perma- 
nent English  settlement  in  America,  May  23,       .        38,  46 

1609.  Virginia  received  its  second  charter,  June  2,    .        .        .48 

1610.  "  Starving  Time "  in  Virginia, 48 

1612.  Virginia  received  its  third  charter,  March  22,  49 

1613.  Pocahontas  married  Rolfe,  April, 
Settlement  of  New  York  by  the  Dutch,  . 


1614.  Smith  explored  New  England  Coast, 

1615.  Culture  of  tobacco  commenced  in  Virginia, 


*  The  early  laws  of  Virginia  were  extremely  rigid.  Disrespect  to  a  minister  was 
punished  hy  whipping ;  absence  from  church,  for  first  offence,  loss  of  "  dayes  allow- 
ance "  of  food,  for  second  offence  whipping,  and  for  third  offence  the  galleys  for  six 
months ;  for  neglect  of  private  or  family  prayer,  the  third  offence,  was  death ;  for 
pvil  words  against  the  council  of  the  company,  the  third  offence,  was  death. 


1619.]  EPOCH    II.  97 


1619.  First  Colonial  Assembly,  June  23, 49 

1620.  Slavery  introduced  in  English  colonies  at  Jamestown,  50 
Pilgrims  landed  at  Plymouth.    First  permanent  English 

settlement  in  New  England,  December  21,   .        .        .53 

1622.  Indian  massacre  in  Virginia,  March  22,     ....  51 
New  Hampshire  granted  to  Gorges  and  Mason,  Aug.  10,  60 

1623.  New  Hampshire  settled  at  Dover  and  Portsmouth,          .  61 

1629.  Charter  granted  to  Massachusetts  Bay  Colony,  March  4,  56 
New    patent   for  New  Hampshire   granted  to  Mason, 

November  7, 61 

1630.  First  house  built  in  Boston,  under  Governor  Winthrop, 

July, 56 

1632.  Maryland  granted  to  Lord  Baltimore,  June  20,  72 

1634.  Maryland  settled  at  St.  Mary's, 72 

1634-6.  Connecticut  settled  at  Windsor,  Hartford,  and  Wethers- 
field,        61 

1635.  Clayborne's  rebellion  hi  Virginia  and  Maryland,      .        .  73 

1636.  Rhode  Island  settled  at  Providence,  June,        ...  64 

1637.  Pequod  War, 62 

1638.  New  Haven  colony  founded,  April  18,              .        .        ,63 
Delaware  settled  near  Wilmington  by  Swedes,  April,     .  69 

1641.  New  Hampshire  united  to  Massachusetts,         ...  61 

1643.  Union  of  New  England  colonies,  May  29,        ...  57 

1644.  Second  Indian  massacre  in  Virginia,  April  18,           .        .  51 
Charter    granted    to    Rhode    Island. — Providence    and 

Rhode  Island  plantations  united,  March  14,  65 

-  1655.  Civil  war  in  Maryland, .73 

New  Sweden  conquered  by  Dutch,  October,    ...  66 

1660.  Navigation  Act,  passed  in  1651,  now  enforced,          .        .  51 

1662.  Charter  granted  to  Connecticut,  April  20,         ...  62 

1663.  Albemarle  Colony  formed,  March  24,        ....  74 

1664.  New  Netherland  conquered  by  English  and  called  New 

York,  September, 66 

New  Jersey  settled  at  Elizabethtown,       ....  68 

1670.  South  Carolina  settled  on  Ashley  River,           ...  74 

1675.  King  Philip's  War, .  57 

1676.  Bacon's  rebellion,  April, 52 

1679.  New  Hampshire  made  a  royal  province,  ....  61 

1680.  Charleston,  S.  C.,  founded, 74 

1682.  Pennsylvania  settled 69 

Delaware  granted  to  William  Penn  by  the  Duke  of  York, 

August  31, 70 

1683.  Philadelphia  founded  by  William  Penn,  February,         .  69 


98  UNITED    STATES    HISTOKY.  [1686. 

PAGE 

1686.  Andros  arrived  in  Boston  as  governor  of  New  England, 

December  20, 59 

1689.  King  William's  war,  77 

Andros  seized  and  sent  to  England,  ....  59 

1690.  Schenectady  burned  by  Indians  and  French,           .        .  78 
1692.  Salem  witchcraft, 60 

Massachusetts  received  a  new  charter,  under  Phipps,  Gov.  59 

1697.  Peace  of  Ryswick  terminated  King  William's  war,         .  78 

1702.  Queen  Anne's  war  commenced, 79 

Delaware  secured  a  separate  legislative  assembly,           .  71 
1710.  Port  Royal,  N.  S.,  captured  by  English  and  named  Anna- 
polis,         79 

1713.  Queen  Anne's  war  closed  by  treaty  of  Utrecht,        .        .  80 

1732.  Washington  born,  February  22, 76 

1733.  Georgia  settled  by  Oglethorpe  at  Savannah,February  12,  76 
1739.  The  Spanish  War  began, 80 

1744.  King  George's  war  began, 80 

1745.  Louisburg  captured  by  English,  June  17,         ...  80 
1748.  King  George's  war  ended  by  treaty  of  Aix  la  Chapelle,  81 

1753.  Washington  sent  with  letter  by  Dinwiddie  to  St.  Pierre, 

October  31, 81 

1754.  Battle  at  Great  Meadows, 83 

Fort  Necessity  captured  by  French,  ....  83 

French  driven  from  Acadia,  June, 85 

1755.  Braddock  defeated  in  battle  of  Monongahela,  July  9,      .  84 
British  defeated  Dieskau  at  Lake  George,  September  8, .  86 

1756.  War   first    formally    declared    between    English    and 

French,  May  17, 83 

French  under  Montcalm  captured  Fort  Oswego,  Aug.  14,  87 

1757.  Fort  William  Henry  surrendered  to  Montcalm,  Aug.  9,  86 

1758.  Abercrombie  repulsed  at  Fort  Ticonderoga,  July  8, .        .  8Y 
Louisburg  taken  by  Amherst  and  Wolfe,  July  26,  .         .  86 
Fort  Frontenac  captured  by  colonists,  August  27,    .        .  87 
Fort  du  Quesne  taken  by  English,  November  25,     .        .  85 

1759.  Ticonderoga  and  Crown  Point  abandoned  by  French,       .  87 
Niagara  surrendered  to  English,  July  25,          ...  87 
Battle  of  Plains  of  Abraham,  September  13,    .        .        .  89 
Quebec  surrendered,  September  18,           ....  89 

1760.  Montreal  surrendered  to  English,  September  8,  .89 
Pontiac's  war, .CO 

1763.  Peace  of  Paris,       .  ,89 


NEW  YORK  ?    . 

PHILADELPHIA,.   ^    ^ 


III 


REVOLUTIONARY 


From  1775— the  Breaking  out  of  the  War,' 
To      1787— the  Adoption  of  the  Constitution, 


Causes  of  the 


Revolution 


EMOTE  Causes.— England  treated 
the  settlers  as  an  inferior  class  of  peo- 
ple. Her  intention  was  to  make  and 
keep  the  colonies  dependent  The 
laws  were  all  framed  to  favor  the  Eng- 
lish manufacturer  and  merchant  at  the 
expense  of  the  colonisi  The  Naviga- 
tion Acts  compelled  the  American  far- 
mer to  send  all  his  products  across 
the  ocean  to  England,  and  to  buy  all  his  goods  in  Brit- 
ish markets.  American  manufactures  were  prohibited.  Iron 


J 

\ 


Questions  on  'the  Geography  of  the  Third  Epoch. — Locate  Boston. 
Portsmouth.  Newport.  Philadelphia.  Salem.  Concord.  Lexington.  Whitehall. 
Cambridge.  New  London.  Charleston.  Charlestown.  Brooklyn.  New  York. 
White  Plains.  North  Castle.  Tarrytown.  Baskingridge.  Trenton.  Princeton. 
Germanto\vn.  Saratoga.  Albany.  Ortskany.  Bennington.  Yorktown.  Mon. 
mouth.  Wilkesbarre.  Savannah.  Augusta.  Norfolk.  Norwalk.  Fairfleld.  New 
Haven.  Elmira.  Camden.  Hanging  Rock.  Cowpens.  Gnilford  Court  House. 
Wilmington.  Entaw  Springs. 

Locate  Crown  Point.  Fort  Ticonderoga.  Fort  Edward.  Fort  Griswold.  Fort 
Moultrie.  Fort  Washington.  West  Point.  Fort  Stanwix.  Stony  Point.  .  Fort  Lee. 
Fort  Mifflin.  Fort  Mercer. 

Describe  the  Brandywine  Creek.  Mohawk  River.  Waxhaw  Creek.  Catawba 
River.  Yadkin  River.  Dan  Rivpr.  Delaware  River. 

Locate  Breed's  Hill.  Bunker  Hill.  Dorchester  Height?.  Harlem  Heights.  Mor- 
ristowD  Heights.  King's  Mountain.  Bemia's  Heights.  Wyoming  Valley. 


102  UNITED    STATES    HISTORY.  [1660. 

works  were  denounced  as  "common  nuisances."  William 
Pitt,  the  friend  of  America,  declared  that  "  she  had  no  right 
to  manufacture  even  a  nail  for  a  horseshoe."  * 

Though  this  course  had  tended  to  alienate  the  feelings  of 
the  colonists,  yet  there  remained  a  'warm  veneration  for  the 
mother  country,  and  England  was  still  spoken  of  as  "home." 
But  events  rapidly  hurried  on  to  a  sundering  of  all  such  ties. 
Parliament  seemed  almost  reckless.  Heavy  debts  had  been 
incurred  in  the  late  war,  and  it  was  determined,  with  true 
John  Bull  obstinacy,  to  subdue  the  high-headed  colonists  and 
make  them  pay  the  bills. 

Writs  of  Assistance  were  warrants  authorizing  the 
king's  officers  to  search  for  smuggled  goods.  With  such  a 
pretext  any  petty  cur-tom-house  official  could  enter  a  man's 
house  or  store  at  his  pleasure.  The  colonists  believed  that 
"every  man's  house  is  his  castle,"  and  resisted  such  power  as  a 
violation  of  then'  rights.f 

The  Stamp  Act  (1765),  which  ordered  that  stamps 
bought  of  the  British  government,  should  be  put  on  all  legal 
documents,  newspapers,  pamphlets,  &c.,  thoroughly  aroused 
the  colonist&J  The  houses  of  British  officials  were  mobbed. 
Prominent  loyalists  were  hung  in  effigy.  Stamps  were  seized. 

*  Even  the  exportation  of  hats  from  one  colony  to  another  was  prohibited,  and  no 
hatter  was  allowed  to  have  more  than  two  apprentices  at  one  time.  The  importation 
of  sugar,  rnm,  and  molasses,  was  hardened  with  exorbitant  duties ;  and  the  Caro- 
linians were  forbidden  to  cut  down  the  pine-trees  of  their  vast  forests,  in  order  to 
convert  the  wood  into  staves,  or  the  juice  into  turpentine  and  tar,  for  commercial 
purposes. 

t  The  matter  was  brought  before  a  general  court,  held  in  Boston,  where  James 
Otis,  advocate-general,  coming  out  boldly  on  the  side  of  the  people,  exclaimed,  "To 
my  citing  day  I  will  oppose,  with  all  the  powers  and  faculties  God  has  given  me.  all 
such  instruments  of  slavery  on  the  one  hand  and  villainy  on  the  other."  "  Then  and 
there."  said  John  Adams,  who  was  present,  "  the  trumpet  of  the  Revolution  was 
sounded." 

J  The  assembly  of  Virginia  wns  the  first  to  make  public  opposition  to  this  odious 
law.  Patrick  Henry,  a  young  1  iwver,  introduced  a  resolution  denying  the  right  ol 
Parliament  to  tax  America.  He  boldly  asserted  that  the  king  had  played  ths  tyrant; 
and.  alluding  to  the  fate  of  other  tyrants,  exclaimed, ' '  Csesar  had  his  Brutus,  Charles  I 


EPOCH    III.  103 

The  agents  were  forced  to  resign.  People  agreed  not  to  use 
any  article  of  British  manufactuiGi*  Associations,  called  the 
"  Sons  of  Liberty,"!  were  formed  to  resist  the  law.  Dele- 
gates from  nine  of  the  colonies  met  at  New  York  and  framed 
a  Declaration  of  Eights,  and  a  petition  to  the  king  and  Parlia- 
ment. The  1st  of  November,  appointed  for  the  law  to  go 
into  effect,  was  observed  as  a  day  of  mourning.  Bells  were 
tolled,  flags  raised  at  half-mast,  and  business  was  suspended.^ 
Samuel  and  John  Adams,  Patrick  Henry,  and  James  Otis, 
aroused  the  people  over  the  whole  land  by  their  stirring  and 
patriotic  speeches.  - 

Frightened  by  these  demonstrations,  the  English  govern- 
ment, the  next  year,  repealed  the  Stamp  Act,  but  still  declared 
its  right  to  inflict  taxation  on  the  colonies.  Soon  new  taxes 
were  imposed  on  tea,  glass,  paper,  &c.  A  Board  of  Trade 
was  established  at  Boston,  to  act  independently  of  the  colonial 
assemblies. 

Mutiny  Act. — Anticipating  bitter  opposition,  troops  were 

his  Cromwell,  and  George  in."— here  pausing  till  the  cry  of  "  Treason  1  Treason  1" 
from  several  parts  of  the  house  had  ended,  he  deliberately  added— "  may  profit  by 
their  examples.  If  this  be  treason,  make  the  most  of  it." 

*  The  newspapers  of  the  day  mention  many  wealthy  people  who  conformed  to  this 
agreement.  On  one  occasion  forty  or  fifty  young  ladies,  who  called  themselves 
"  Daughters  of  Liberty,"  brought  their  spinning-wheels  to  the  house  of  Rev.  Mr. 
Morehead,  in  Boston,  and  during  the  day  spun  two  hundred  and  thirty-two  skeins 
of  yarn,  which  they  presented  to  their  pastor.  "  Within  eighteen  months,"  wrote  a 
gentleman  at  Newport,  R.  I.,  "  four  hundred  and  eighty-seven  yards  of  cloth  and  thirty- 
six  pairs  of  stockings  have  been  spun  and  knit  in  the  family  of  James  Nixon  of  this 
town."  In  Newport  and  Boston  the  ladies,  at  their  tea-drinkings,  used,  instead  of 
imported  tea,  the  dried  leaves  of  the  raspberry.  They  called  this  substitute  Hy- 
perion. The  class  of  1770,  at  Cambridge,  took  their  diplomas  in  homespun  suits. 

t  This  name  was  assumed  from  the  celebrated  speech  of  Barre  on  the  Stamp  Act, 
in  which,  in  his  reply  to  the  ministry,  he  spoke  of  the  colonists  as  "sons  of  lib- 
erty." 

t  At  Portsmouth,  N.  H.,  a  coffin  inscribed  "LIBERTY,  aged  CXLV  years,"  was 
borne  to  an  open  grave.  With  muffled  drums  and  solemn  tread, the  procession  moved 
from  the  State  House.  Minute  guns  were  fired  till  the  grave  was  reached,  when  a 
funeral  oration  was  pronounced  and  the  coffin  lowered.  Suddenly  it  was  proclaimed 
that  there  were  signs  of  life.  The  coffin  was  raised.  A  new  inscription,  "  Liberty 
Revived,"  \vas  appended-  Bells  rung,  trumpets  sounded,  men  shouted,  and  a  jubilee 
ensued. 


104  UNITED    STATES    HISTORY.  [1766. 

sent  to  enforce  the  laws.  The  "Mutiny  Act,"  as  it  was  called, 
ordered  that  the  colonies  should  provide  these  soldiers  with 
quarters  and  necessary  supplies.  This  evident  attempt  to 
enslave  the  Americans  aroused  buriJng  indignation.  To  he 
taxed  was  had  enough,  hut  to  shelter  and  feed  their  oppressors 
was  unendurable.  The  New  York  assembly,  having  refused 
to  comply,  was  forbidden  to  pass  any  legislative  acts.  The 
Massachusetts  assembly  sent  a  circular  to  the  other  colonies 
urging  a  union  for  redress  of  grievances.  Parliament,  in  the 
name  of  the  king,  ordered  the  assembly  to  rescind  its  action. 
It  almost  unanimously  refused.  In  the  meantime  the  assem- 
blies of  nearly  all  the  colonies  had  declared  that  Parliament  had 
no  right  to  tax  them  without  their  consent  Hereupon  they 
were  warned  not  to  imitate  the  disobedient  conduct  of 
Massachusetts. 

Boston  Massacre. — Boston  being  considered  the  hot-bed 
of  the  rebellion,  General  Gage  was  sent  thither  with  two 
regiments  of  troops.  They  entered  on  a  quiet  Sabbath  morn- 
ing, and  marched  as  through  a  conquered  city,  with  drums 
beating  and  flags  flying.  Quarters  being  refused,  they  took 
possession  of  the  State  House.  The  Common  was  soon 
crowded  with  tents.  Cannon  were  planted,  sentries  posted,  and 
citizens  challenged.  Frequent  quarrels  took  place  between 
the  people  and  the  soldiers.  One  day  (March  5,  1770)  a 
crowd  of  men  and  boys,  maddened  by  its  presence,  insulted 
the  city  guard.  A  fight  ensued.  Two  citizens  were  wounded 
and  three  killed.  The  bells  were  rung.  The  country  people 
rushed  in  to  the  help  of  the  city.  The  soldiers  were  compelled 
to  flee  to  Castle  William  to  avoid  the  rage  of  the  populace.* 

Boston  Tea  Party  (Dec.  16,  1773).— The   government, 


*  The  soldiers  were  tried  for  murder.  Jghn  Adams  and  Josiah  Qnincy,  who  stood 
foremost  in  opposition  to  British  aggression,  defended  them.  All  were  acquitted 
except  two,  who  were  found  guilty  of  manslaughter. 


1773.] 


EPOCH     III. 


105 


FANEUIL   HAI 


alarmed  by  the  turn  events  had  taken,  rescinded  the  taxes, 
except  that  on  tea — which  was  left  to  maintain  the  principle. 
An  arrangement  was  made  whereby  tea  was  furnished  at  so 
low  a  price  that  with  the  tax  included  it  was  cheaper  in 
America  than  in  England. 
This  subterfuge  exasperated 
the  patriots.  They  were  fight- 
ing for  a  great  principle,  not  a 
paltry  tax.  At  Charleston  the 
tea  was  stored  in  damp  cellars 
where  it  soon  spoiled.  The 
tea-ships  at  New  York  and 
Philadelphia  were  sent  home. 
The  British  authorities  refused 
to  let  the  tea-ships  at  Boston 
return.  Upon  this  an  immense 
public  meeting  was  held  at  Faneuil  Hall,*  and  it  was  decided 
that  the  tea  should  never  be  brought  ashore.  A  party  of  men, 
disguised  as  Indians,  boarded  the  vessels  and  emptied  three 
hundred  and  forty-two  chests  of  tea  into  the  water.f 

The  Climax  Reached, — Eetaliatory  measures  were  at 
once  adopted  by  the  English  government.^  General  Gage 
was  appointed  governor  of  Massachusetts.  The  port  of 
Boston  being  closed  §  by  act  of  Parliament,  business  was 

*  Faneuil  Hall  was  the  rendezvous  of  the  Revolutionary  spirits  of  that  time — hence 
it  has  been  called  the  "  Cradle  of  Liberty." 

t  On  their  way  home  the  party  passed  a  house  at  which  Admiral  Montague  was 
spending  the  evening.  The  officer  raised  the  window  and  cried  out,  "  Well,  boys, 
you've  had  a  fine  night  for  your  Indian  caper.  But,  mind,  you've  got  to  pay  the 
fiddler  yet."  "  Oh,  never  mind,"  replied  one  of  the  leaders,  "  never  mind,  squire ! 
Just  come  out  here,  if  you  please,  and  we'll  settle  the  bill  in  two  minutes."  The 
admiral  thought  it  best  to  let  the  bill  stand,  and  quickly  shut  the  window. 

t  The  public  feeling  in  England  was  generally  against  the  colonies.  "Every 
man,"  wrote  Dr.  Franklin,  "seems  to  consider  himself  as  a  piece  of  a  sovereign 
over  America ;  seems  to  jostle  himself  into  the  throne  with  the  king,  and  talks  of  our 
subjects  in  the  colonies." 

§  The  merchants  of  Salem,  refusing  to  profit  by  the  ruin  of  their  rival,  offered  the 


106  UNITED    STATES    HISTORY.  [1774. 

stopped  and  distress  ensued.  The  Virginia  assembly  pro- 
tested against  this  measure,  and  was  dissolved  by  the  governor. 
Party  lines  were  drawn.  Those  opposed  to  royalty  were 
termed  Wliigs,  and  those  supporting  it,  Tories.  Everywhere 
were  repeated  the  thrilling  words  of  Patrick  Henry,  "  Give 
me  liberty  or  give  me  death."  Companies  of  soldiers,  termed 
"Minute  men,"  were  formed.  The  idea  of  a  continental 
union  became  popular.  Gage,  being  alarmed,  fortified  Boston 
Neck,  and  seized  powder  wherever  he  could  find  it.  A  rumor 
having  been  circulated  that  the  British  ships  were  firing  on 
Boston,  in  two  days  thirty  thousand  minute  men  were  on 
their  way  to  the  city.  A  spark  only  was  needed  to  kindle  the 
slumbering  hatred  into  the  flames  of  war. 

The  First  Continental  Congress  (Sept  5,  1774)  was 
held  in  Philadelphia.  It  consisted  of  men  of  influence,  and 
represented  every  colony  except  Georgia.  As  yet  few  mem- 
bers had  any  idea  of  independence.  The  Congress  simply 
voted  that  obedience  was  not  due  to  any  of  the  recent  acts  of 
Parliament,  and  sustained  Massachusetts  in  her  resistance.  It 
issued  a  protest  against  standing  armies  being  kept  in  the 
colonies  without  consent  of  the  people,  and  agreed  to  hold  no 
intercourse  with  Great  Britain. 


1775. 

'  Battle  of  Lexington  (April  19). — General  Gage,  learning 
that  the  people  were  gathering  military  stores  at  Concord, 
sent  eight  hundred  men  under  Col.  Smith  and  Major  Pitcairn 
to  destroy  them.  The  patriots  of  Boston,  however,  were  on  the 

use  of  their  wharves  to  the  Boston  merchants.  Aid  and  sympathy  were  received 
from  all  sides.  Schoharie,  N.  Y.,  pent  five  hundred  and  twenty-five  bnshels  of  wheat 


1775.] 


EPOCH    III. 


107 


alert,  and  hurried  out  messengers  to  alarm  the  country.* 
When  the  red-coats,  as  the  British  soldiers  were  called,  reached 
Lexington,  they  found  a  company  of  minute  men  gathering 


PUTNAM   SUMMONED  TO   WAR. 

on  the  village  green.  Riding  up,  Pitcairn  shouted,  "  Disperse, 
you  rebels ;  lay  down  your  arms !"  They  hesitated.  A  skir- 
mish ensued,  in  which  seven  Americans — the  first  martyrs  of 
the  Revolution— were  killed. 

The  British  pushed  on  and  destroyed  the  stores.  But 
alarmed  by  the  gathering  militia  they  hastily  retreated.  It 
was  none  too  soon.  The  whole  region  flew  to  arms.  Every 
boy  old  enough  to  use  a  rifle  hurried  to  avenge  the  death  of 
his  countrymen.  From  behind  trees,  fences,  buildings,  and 

*  A  lantern  was  hung  up  in  the  steeple  of  the  North  Church.    Its  light  was  seen  in 
Charlestown,  and  trusty  messengers  at  once  set  out. 


108  UNITED     STATES     HISTORY.  [1775. 

rocks,  in  front,  flank  and  rear,  so  galling  a  fire  was  poured, 
that  but  for  reinforcements  from  Boston,  none  of  the  British 
would  have  reached  the  city  alive.  As  it  was,  they  lost  nearly 
three  hundred  men. 

Effects  of  tlie  Battle. — The  news  that  American  blood 
had  been  spilled  flew  like  wild  fire.  Patriots  came  pouring  in 
from  all  sides.  Putnam*  left  his  cattle  yoked  in  the  field,  and 
without  changing  his  working  clothes,  mounted  his  fastest 
horse,  and  hurried  to  Boston. 

Soon  twenty  thousand  men  were  at  work  throwing  up 
intrenchments  to  shut  up  the  British  in  the  city.  Congresses 
were  formed  in  all  the  colonies.  Committees  of  safety  were 
appointed  to  call  out  the  troops  and  provide  for  any  emer- 
gency. The  power  of  the  royal  governors  was  broken  from 
Massachusetts  to  Georgia. 

'  Battle  of  Bunker  Hill  (June  17).— Colonel  Prescott 
assembled  a  body  of  men  at  Cambridge,  from  whence,  after  a 
prayer  by  the  president  of  Harvard  College,  they  noiselessly 
moved  to  Charlestown  Neck.  They  had  been  ordered  to 
fortify  Bunker  Hill,  but,  on  a  hasty  consultation,  they  pre- 
ferred Breed's  Hill,  as  more  commanding.  It  was  bright 
moonlight,  and  they  were  so  near  Boston  that  the  sentinel's 
"  All's  well,"  was  distinctly  heard.  Yet  so  quietly  did  they 


*  Israel  Putnam,  familiarly  known  as  "Old  Put,"  was  born  in  Salem,  Mass.,  1718. 
Many  stories  are  told  of  his  great  courage  and  presence  of  mind.  His  descent  into  the 
wolfs  den,  shooting  the  animal  by  the  light  of  her  own  glaring  eyes,  showed  his 
love  of  bold  adventure ;  his  noble  generosity  was  displayed  in  the  rescue  of  a  comrade 
scout  at  Crown  Point,  at  the  imminent  peril  of  his  own  life.  He  came  out  of  one 
encounter  with  fourteen  bullet  holes  in  his  blanket  In  1756  a  party  of  Indians  took 
him  prisoner,  bound  him  to  a  stake,  and  made  ready  to  torture  him  with  fire.  The 
flames  were  already  scotching  his  limbe,  and  death  seemed  certain,  when  a  French 
officer  burst  through  the  crowd  and  saved  his  life.  At  Fort  Edward,  when  all  others 
fled  away,  he  alone  fought  back  the  fire  from  a  magazine  in  which  were  stored  three 
hundred  barrel?  of  gunpowder,  protected  only  by  a  thin  partition.  "His  face,  his 
hands,  and  almost  his  whole  body,  were  blistered ;  and  in  removing  the  mittens  from 
his  hands,  the  skin  was  torn  off  with  them."  The  British  offered  him  money  and 
the  rank  of  major-general  if  he  would  desert  the  American  cause ;  but  he  could 
neither  be  daunted  by  toil  and  danger,  nor  bribed  by  gold  and  honors. 


1775.] 


EPOCH    III. 


109 


work  that  there  was  no  alarm.  At  daylight  the  British 
officers  were  startled  by  seeing  the  redoubt  which  had  been 
constructed.  Kesolved  to  drive  the  Americans  from  their 


THE   PRAYER   BEFORE  THE   BATTLE    OF    BUNKER   HILL. 

position,  Howe  crossed  the  river  with  three  thousand  men,  and 
formed  them  at  the  landing.  They  slowly  ascended  the  hilL 
The  roofs  and  steeples  of  Boston  were  crowded  with  specta- 
tors, intently  watching  the  scene.  The  patriot  ranks  lay 
quietly  behind  their  earthworks  until  the  red-coats  were 
within  ten  rods,  when  Prescott  shouted  "  Fire !"  A  blaze  of 
light  shot  from  the  redoubt  "Whole  platoons  of  the  British 
fell.  The  survivors,  unable  to  endure  the  terrible  slaughter, 
broke  and  fled.  They  were  rallied  under  cover  of  the  smoke 
of  Charlestown,  which  had  been  wantonly  fired  by  Gage. 


HO  UNITED    STATES    HISTORY.  [1773. 

Again  they  were  met  by  that  deadly  discharge,  and  again  they 
fle°d.  Eeinforcements  being  received,  the  third  time  they 
advanced.  Only  one  volley  smote  them,  and  then  the  firing 
ceased.  The  American  ammunition  was  exhausted.  The 
British  charged  over  the  ramparts  with  fixed  bayonets.  The 
patriots  gallantly  resisted  with  clubbed  muskets,  but  were 
soon  driven  from  the  field.* 

Tlie  effect  upon  the  Americans  of  this  first  regular  battle 
was  that  of  a  victory.  Their  untrained  farmer  soldiers  had 
put  to  flight  the  British  veterans.  All  felt  encouraged,  and 
the  determination  to  fight  for  liberty  was  intensified. 
•  Capture  of  Ticonderoga  (May  10).— Ethan  Allenf  and 
Benedict  Arnold  led  a  small  company  of  volunteers  to  sur- 
prise this  fortress.  As  Allen  rushed  into  the  sally-port,. a  senti- 

*  General  "Warren  was  among  the  last  to  leave.  As  he  was  trying  to  ral?y  the 
troops,  a  British  officer  who  knew  him,  seized  a  musket  and  shot  him.  Warren  had 
just  received  his  commission  as  major-general,  hut  had  crossed  Charlestown  Neck  in 
the  midst  of  flying  balls,  reached  the  redoubt,  and  offered  himself  as  a  volunteer. 
He  was  buried  near  the  spot  where  he  fell.  By  his  death  America  lost  one  of  her 
truest  sons.  Gage  is  reported  to  have  said  that  his  fall  was  worth  that  of  five 
hundred  ordinary  rebels.  Mrs.  Adams  wrote,  "  Not  all  the  havoc  and  devastation 
they  have  made  has  moved  me  like  the  death  of  Warren.  We  want  him  in  the 
senate ;  we  want  him  in  the  profession ;  we  want  him  in  the  field.  We  mourn  for 
the  cjtizen,  the  physician,  the  senator,  the  warrior." 

t  Ethan  Allen  was  a  native  of  Connecticut.  With  several  of  his  brothers  he  emi- 
grated to  what  is  now  known  as  Vermont.  At  that  time  a  dispute  had  arisen  be- 
tween the  colony  of  New  York,  on  one  hand,  and  the  colonies  of  New  Hampshire, 
Massachusetts,  and  Connrtticut,  on  the  other,  with  reference  to  the  territory.  The 
governor  of  New  Hampshire,  regardless  of  the  claims  of  New  York,  issued  grants  of 
land  so  extensively  that  the  region  became  known  as  the  New  Hampshire  grants. 
New  York,  however,  having  obtained  a  favorable  decision  of  the  court,  endeavored 
to  eject  the  occupants  of  the  land.  Ethan  Allen  became  conspicuous  in  the  resist- 
nnce  that  ensued.  The  "  Green  Mountain  Boys "  made  him  their  colonel,  and  he 
kept  a  watchful  eye  on  the  officers  from  New  York,  who  sought  by  form  of  law  to 
dispossess  the  settlers  of  farms  which  had  been  bought,  paid  for,  and  made  valuable 
by  their  own  labor.  The  Revolutionary  War  caused  a  lull  in  these  hostilities,  and 
the  Green  Mountain  Boys  turned  their  arms  upon  the  common  enemy.  Allen  after- 
ward aided  Montgomery  in  his  Canadian  expedition,  but,  in  a  fool-hardy  attempt  upon 
Montreal,  was  taken  prisoner  and  sent  to  England  in  irons.  After  along  captivity  he 
was  released,  and  returned  to  his  home.  Generous  and  frank,  a  strong  and  vigorous 
writer,  loyal  to  his  country  and  true  to  his  friends,  he  exerted  a  powerful  influence 
on  the  early  history  of  Vermont.  To  no  one  is  that  State  more  indebted  for  her  in- 
dependence than  to  Ethan  Allen,  whose  patriotism  did  much  to  atone  for  his  rough- 
ness of  manner  and  skepticism  in  religion. 


1775.]  EPOCH    III. 

nel  snapped  his  gun  at  him  and  fied.  Making  his  way  to  the 
commander's  quarters,  Allen, '  in  a  voice  of  thunder,  ordered 
him  to  surrender.  '-'By  whose  authority?"  exclaimed  the 
frightened  officer.  "  In  the  name  of  the  Great  Jehovah  and 
the  Continental  Congress !"  shouted  Allen.  No  resistance  was 
attempted.  Large  stores  of  cannon  and  ammunition,  just 
then  so  much  needed  by  the  troops  at  Boston,  fell  into  the 
hands  of  the  Americans,  without  the  loss  of  a  single  man. 
Crown  Point  was  soon  after  as  easily  taken. 

The  Second  Continental  Congress  (May  10)  met  at 
Philadelphia  in  the  midst  of  these  stirring  events.  It  voted 
to  raise  twenty  thousand  men,  and  appointed  General  Wash- 
ington commander-in-chief.  It  also  prepared  a  petition  to  the 
king,  which  he  refused  to  receive,  This  destroyed  all  hope  of 
reconciliation. 

Condition  cf  the  Army. — On  "Washington's  arrival  before 
Boston,  he  found  the  army  to  number  but  fourteen  thousand 
men.  Few  of  them  were  drilled ;  many  were  unfit  for  service ; 
gome  had  left  their  farms  at  the  first  impulse,  and  were  already 
weary  of  the  hardships  of  war;  all  were  badly  clothed  and 
poorly  armed,  and  there  were  less  than  nine  cartridges  to 
each  soldier.  Washington  at  once  made  every  exertion  to 
relieve  their  wants,  and  in  the  meantime  kept  Gage  penned 
up  in  Boston. 

Expedition  against  Canada. — Late  in  the  summer 
General  Montgomery,  leading  an  army  by  the  way  of  Lake 
Champlain,  captured  St  John's  and  Montreal,  and  then 
appeared  before  Quebec.  Here  he  was  joined  by  Colonel 
Arnold  with  a  crowd  of  half-clad,  half-famished  men,  who 
had  ascended  the  Kennebec  and  then  struck  across  the  wil- 
derness.* » 

*  It  is  hard  to  conceive  the  hardships  which  these  men  endured.  Their  way  was 
through  tangled  thickets  and  over  pathless  mountains.  Worn  out,  cold,  sick,  and 


H;>  UNITED     STATES     HISTORY.  [1775. 

Attack  upon  Quebec. — Their  united  force  rras  less  than 
one  thousand  effective  men.  Having  besieged  the  city  for 
three  weeks  it  was  at  last  decided  to  hazard  ah  assault.  In  the 
midst  of  a  terrible  snow-storm  they  led  their  forces  to  the 
attack.  Montgomery  advancing  along  the  river,  lifting  with 
his  own  hands  at  the  huge  blocks  of  ice,  and  struggling 
through  the  drifts,  cheered  on  his  men.  As  they  rushed 
forward  a  rude  blockhouse  appeared  through  the  blinding 
snow.  Charging  upon  it  he  fell  at  the  first  fire.  His  fol- 
lowers, disheartened,  fled.  Arnold,  in  the  meantime,  ap- 
proached the  opposite  side  of  the  city.  While  bravely 
fighting  he  was  severely  wounded  and  borne  to  the  rear. 
Morgan,  his  successor,  pressed  on  the  attack,  but  at  last, 
unable  to  retreat  or  advance  against  the  tremendous  odds, 
was  forced  to  surrender.  The  remnant  of  the  army,  crouch- 
rag  behind  mounds  of  snow  and  ice,  maintained  a  blockade  of 
the  city  until  spring.  At  the  approach  of  British  reinforce- 
ments the  Americans  were  glad  to  escape,  leaving  all  Canada 
in  the  hands  of  England. 


1776. 

Evacuation  of  Boston  (March  17). — "Washington,  in 
order  to  force  the  British  to  fight  or  run,  sent  a  force  to  fortify 
Dorchester  Heights  by  night.  In  the  morning  the  English 
were  once  more  astonished  by  seeing  entrenchments  which 
overlooked  the  city.  A  storm  prevented  an  immediate  attack ; 
a  delay  which  was  well  improved  by  the  provincials.  General 

disheartened,  they  still  pressed  forward.  The  last  ox  was  killed  and  eaten ;  the  last 
dog  was  taken  for  food,  and  their  only  resource  against  starvation  was  roots  and 
moose  skin  moccasins.  For  two  days  they  ate  nothing.  Morgan,  Greene,  Melgs 
and  Aaron  Burr,  were  of  this  brave  band. 


1776.]  EPOCH    III.  113 

Howe,  who  was  then  in  command,  remembering  the  lesson 
of  Bunker  Hill,  decided  to  leave,  and  accordingly  set  sail  with 
his  army,  fleet,  and  many  loyalists.  The  next  day  Washington 
entered  amid  great  rejoicing.  For  eleven  months  the  inhabi- 
tants had  endured  the  horrors  of  a  siege  and  the  insolence  of 
the  enemy.*  Their  houses  had  been  pillaged,  their  shops 
rifled,  and  their  churches  profaned. 

Attack  on  Fort  Moultrie  (June  28).— Early  in  the 
summer  a  fleet  appeared  off  Charleston  Harbor,  and  opened 
fire  on  Fort  Moultrie.f  So  fearful  was  the  response  from 
Moultrie's  guns,  that  at  one  time  every  man  but  Admiral 
Parker  was  swept  from  the  deck  of  his  vessel.  General 
Clinton,  who  commanded  the  British  land  troops,  tried  to 
attack  the  fort  in  the  rear,  but  the  fire  of  the  southern  rifle- 
men was  too  severe.  The  fleet  was  at  last  so  badly  shattered 
that  it  withdrew  and  sailed  for  New  York.  This  victory 
gave  the  colonists  great  delight,  as  it  was  their  first  encounter 
with  the  boasted  "  Mistress  of  the  Seas," 


*  The  boys  of  Boston  were  wont  to  amuse  themselves  in  winter  by  building  snow- 
houses  and  by  skating  on  a  pond  in  the  Common.  The  soldiers  having  disturbed 
them  in  their  sports,  complaints  were  made  to  the  inferior  officers,  who  only  ridi- 
culed their  petition.  At  last  a  number  of  the  largest  boys  waited  on  General  Gage. 
"  What  1"  said  Gage,  "  have  your  fathers  sent  you  here  to  exhibit  the  rebellion  they 
have  been  teaching  you?"  "Nobody  sent  us,"  answered  the  leader  with  flashing 
eye,  "  we  have  never  injured  your  troops,  but  they  have  trampled  down  our  snow- 
hills  and  broken  the  ice  of  our  skating-pond.  We  complained,  and  they  called  us 
young  rebels,  and  told  us  to  help  ourselves  if  we  could.  We  told  the  captain,  and  he 
laughed  at  us.  Yesterday  our  works  were  destroyed  for  the  third  time,  and  we  will 
bea'r  it  no  longer."  The  British  commander  could  not  restrain  his  admiration. 
'  The  very  children,"  said  he,  "draw  in  a  love  of  liberty  with  the  air  they  breathe. 
Go,  my  brave  boys,  and  be  assured,  if  my  troops  trouble  yon  again,  they  shall  be 
punished." 

t  This  fort  was  built  of  palmetto  logs,  which  are  BO  soft  that  balls  sink  into  them 
without  splitting  the  wood.  Here  floated  the  first  republican  flag  in  the  South.  In 
the  early  part  of  the  action  the  staff  was  struck  by  a  ball,  and  the  flag  fell  outside  the 
fort.  Sergeant  Jasper  leaped  over  the  breastwork,  caught  up  the  flag,  and  springing 
back  tied  it  to  a  sponge  staff  (an  instrument  for  cleaning  cannon  after  a  discharge), 
and  hoisted  it  again  to  its  place.  The  next  day  Governor  Rutledge  offered  him  a 
sword  and  a  lieutenant's  commission.  He  refused,  saying,  "  I  am  not  fit  for  the  com- 
pany of  officers ;  I  am  only  a  sergeant." 


Ill  UNITED     STATES     HISTOKT.  [ITTd 

Declaration  of  Independence  (July  4,  1776). — During 
the  session  of  Congress  this  summer,  Eichard  Henry  Lee,  of 
Virginia,  moved  that  "Tlie  United  Colonies  are,  and  ought  to 
le,  free  and  independent  states"  This  was  passed  by  a 
majority  of  one  colony.  A  committee  was  appointed  to 
draw  up  a  DECLARATION  OF  INDEPENDENCE.*  At  two 
o'clock  on  the  fourth  of  July,  their  report  was  adopted.f 

Campaign  near  New  York. — General  Howe,  after 
evacuating  Boston,  went  to  Halifax,  and  soon  after  set  sail  for 
New  York.  Thither  also  came  Admiral  Howe,J  his  brother, 
with  reinforcements,  from  England,  and  also  Clinton  from 
the  defeat  at  Fort  Moultrie.  The  British  army  was  thirty 
thousand  strong.  Washington,  divining  Howe's  plans,  now 
gathered  all  his  forces  at  New  York  to  protect  that  city. 
He  had,  however,  only  about  seven  thousand  men  fit  for  duty. 

Battle  of  Long  Island  (Aug.  27).— The  British  army 
landed  on  the  southwest  shore  of  Long  Island.  General  Put- 


*  Thomas  Jefferson,  John  Adams,  Benjamin  Franklin,  Roger  Sherman,  and  Robert 
R.  Livingston,  composed  this  committee. 

t  During  the  day  the  streets  of  Philadelphia  were  crowded  with  people  anxious  to 
learn  the  decision.  In  the  steeple  of  the  old  State  House  was  a  bell  which,  by  a 
happy  coincidence,  was  inscribed  "  Proclaim  liberty  throughout  all  the  land  nnto  all 
the  inhabitants  thereof."  In  the  morning,  when  Congress  assembled,  the  bell-ringer 
went  to  his  post,  placing  his  boy  below  to  announce  when  the  Declaration  was 
adopted,  that  his  bell  might  be  the  first  to  peal  forth  the  glad  udiugs.  Long  he 
waited,  while  the  deliberations  went  on.  Impatiently  the  'old  mau  shook  his  head 
and  repeated,  "  They  will  never  do  it  1  They  will  never  do  it !"  Suddenly  he  heard 
his  boy  clapping  his  hands  and  shouting,  "Ring I  Ring!"  Grasping  the  iron 
tongue  he  swung  it  to  and  fro,  proclaiming  the  glad  news  of  liberty  to  all  the  land. 
The  crowded  streets  caught  up  the  sound.  Every  steeple  re-echoed  it.  All  that 
night,  by  shouts,  and  illuminations,  and  booming  of  cannon,  the  people  declared 
their  joy. 

t  Parliament  authorized  the  Howes  to  treat  with  the  irsureents.  By  proclamation 
they  offered  pardon  to  all  who  would  return  to  their  allegiance.  This'document  v.-as 
published  by  direction  of  Congress,  that  the  people  might  see  what  England  demanded. 
An  officer  was  then  pent  to  the  American  camp  with  a  letter  addressed  to  "  George 
Washington,  Esq."  Washington  refused  to  receive  it.  The  address  was  afterward 
changed  to  "George  Washington,  &c.,  Ac."  The  messenger  endeavored  to  show 
that  this  bore  any  meaning  which  might  be  desired.  But  Washington  understood 
the  sophistry  and  utterly  refused  any  communication  which  did  not  distinctly  recog- 
nize his  position  as  commander  of  the  American  army. 


1776.]  EPOCH    III.  115 

nam,  with  about  nine  thousand  men,  held  a  fort  at  Brooklyn 
and  defences  on  a  range  of  hills  south  of  the  city.  The  Eng- 
lish advanced  in  three  divisions.  Two  of  these  attacked  the 
Americans  in  front,  while  General  Clinton,  by  a  circuitous 
route,  gained  the  rear.  The  patriots  were  fighting  gallantly, 
when,  to  then-  dismay,  they  heard  firing  behind  them.  They 
attempted  to  escape,  but  it  was  too  late.  Out  of  five  thousand 
men  engaged,  two  thousand  were  lost* 

Had  Howe  attacked  the  fort  at  Brooklyn  immediately,  the 
Americans  would  have  been  utterly  destroyed.  Fortunately 
he  delayed  for  the  fleet  to  arrive.  For  two  days  the  patriots 
lay  helpless,  awaiting  the  assault.  On  the  second  night  after 
the  battle,  there  was  a  dense  fog  on  the  Brooklyn  side,  while 
in  New  York  the  weather  was  clear.  At  midnight  the  Amer- 
icans moved  silently  down  to  the  shore  and  crossed  the  river.f 
In  the  morning,  when  the  sun  scattered  the  fog,  Howe  was 
chagrined  to  find  that  his  prey  had  escaped. 

Washington's  Retreat. — The  British,  crossing  to  New 
York,J  moved  to  attack  Washington,  who  had  taken  post  on 


*  Those  who  were  taken  captive  were  confined  in  crowded  prisons.  Nothing 
could  exceed  the  sufferings  of  these  poor  victims.  Many  died  in  the  Sugar  House, 
but  by  far  the  saddest  scenes  occurred  on  the  prison  ships.  These  were  old  hulks 
anchored  in  the  waters  around  New  York.  The  Jersey  was  especially  noted  for  the 
cruelty  of  its  officers.  From  these  loathsome  places  of  confinement  almost  eleven 
thousand  bodies  were  carried  out  during  the  war  and  buried  in  the  sand  of  the  beach. 
In  1808  their  remains  were  re-interred.  They  now  rest  in  a  vault  on  Hudson  avenue, 
Brooklyn. 

t  The  Americans  embarked  at  a  place  near  the  present  Pulton  Ferry.  A  woman 
sent  her  negro  servant  to  the  British  to  inform  them  of  the  movements  of  the  Ameri- 
cans. He  was  captured  by  the  Hessians,  who  were  Germans  from  Hesse  Cassel, 
hired  to  fight  by  the  British  government.  The*e,  not  being  able  to  understand  a 
word  of  English,  detained  him  until  the  morning.  His  message  was  then  too  late. 

t  Washington  desiring  to  gain  some  knowledge  of  Howe's  movements,  Captain 
Nathan  Hale  visited  the  camps  on  Long  Island  for  this  purpose.  He  passed  the  lines 
safely,  but  on  his  way  back  was  recognized  by  a  tory  relative,  who  arrested  him.  He 
was  taken  to  Howe's  headquarters,  tried,  and  executed  as  a  spy.  No  clergyman  was 
allowed  to  visit  him.  A  Bible  even  was  denied.  His  farewell  letters  to  his  mother 
and  sister  were  destroyed.  The  brutality  of  his  enemies  did  not,  however,  crush  his 
noble  spirit,  for  his  last  words  were,  "I  only  regret  that  I  have  but  one  life  to  give  to 
my  country." 


116  UNITED    STATES    HIS  TO  BY.  [1776. 

Harlem  Heights.  Finding  the  American  position  too  strong, 
Howe  moved  up  the  Sound  in  order  to  gain  the  rear.  Wash- 
ington then  withdrew  to  White  Plains.  Here  Howe  came 
up  and  defeated  a  part  of  his  army.  Washington  then  with- 
drew into  a  fortified  camp  at  North  Castle.  Howe,  not  daring 
to  attack  him  here,  returned  to  New  York  and  sent  the 
Hessians  to  take  Fort  Washington,  which  they  captured  after 
a  fierce  resistance.  The  Americans  now  retreated  into  New 
Jersey,  to  prevent  a  march  on  Philadelphia.  Thereupon 
Cornwallis,  with  six  thousand  men,  hurried  after  Washington. 
For  three  weeks  he  pursued  the  flying  Amp.rica.Tis,  now  reduced 
to  three  thousand.  Many  had  no  shoes,  and  left  their  blood- 
stained foot-prints  on  the  frozen  ground.  Oftentimes  the  van 
of  the  pursuing  army  was  in  sight  of  the  American  rear- 
guard. At  last  Washington  reached  the  Delaware,  and  the 
boats  having  all  been  secured,  crossed  into  Pennsylvania.* 
Howe  resolved  to  wait  until  the  river  should  freeze  over,  and 
then  capture  Philadelphia,  In  the  meantime  he  quartered 
his  troops  along  the  river  in  the  neighboring  villages. 
>  Condition  of  the  Country. — It  was  a  time  of  deep 
despondency.  The  patriot  army  was  a  mere  handful  of  ragged, 
disheartened  fugitives.  Many  people  of  wealth  and  influence 
went  over  to  the  eneijiy.  New  York  and  Newport — the 
second  city  in  size  in  New  England — were  already  in  the 
hands  of  the  British,  and  they  were  likely  to  soon  seize  Phila- 
delphia. 

Battle  of  Trenton. — Washington  thought  it  time  to 
strike  a  daring  blow.  On  Christmas  night,  in  a  driving 

*  Daring  this  retreat  Washington  repeatedly  sent  orders  to  General  Lee,  who  was 
then  at  North  Castle,  to  join  him.  Lee  hesitated,  and  at  last  moved  very  slowly. 
Five  days  after  this,  while  quartered  in  a  small  tavern  at  Baskinsrridge,  remote  from 
his  troops,  he  was  taken  prisoner  by  English  cavalry.  His  capture  was  a  great  mis- 
fortune to  the  Americans,  who  considered  him  the  best  officer  in  the  army.  The 
British  were  greatly  rejoiced,  aud  declared  they  had  taken  the  "American  Pal- 
ladium." 


1776.] 


EPOCH    III. 


117 


storm  of  sleet,  amid  drifting  ice,  that  threatened  every 
moment  to  crush  the  boats,  he  crossed  the  Delaware  with 
twenty-four  hundred  picked  men,  fell  upon  the  Hessians  at 


NG    THE    DELAWARE. 


Trenton,   in    the  midst  of   their  festivities,*  captured    one 
thousand  prisoners,  slew  their  leader,!  an(^  safely  escaped  back 


*  Hunt,  a  trader  with  friends  and  foes,  a  neutral,  had  invited  Rail,  the  Hessian 
commander,  to  a  Christmas  supper.  Card-playing  and  wine-drinking  were  kept  up 
all  night  long.  A  messenger  came  in  haste,  at  early  dawn,  with  a  note  to  the  colonel. 
It  was  sent  by  a  tory  to  give  warning  of  the  approach  of  the  American  forces.  The 
negro  servant  refused  admittance  to  the  bearer.  Knowing  its  importance,  he  bade 
tlic  negro  to  take  the  note  directly  to  the  officer.  The  servant  obeyed,  but  the 
colonel,  excited  by  wine  and  the  play,  thrust  it  unopened  into  his  pocket.  Soon  the 
roll  of  drums  was  heard,  and  before  the  pleasure-loving  officer  could  reach  his  quar- 
ters the  Americans  were  in  pursuit  of  his  fleeing  soldiers. 

t  Before  leaving  Trenton,  Washington  and  Greene  visited  the  dying  Hessian.  It 
had  been  a  time  of  splendid  triumph  to  the  American  commander,  but  as  he  stood  by 
that  bedside  the  soldier  was  lost  in  the  Christian.  The  victorious  general  showed 
himself  in  that  hour  only  a  sympathizing  friend. 


118  UXITED    STATES    HISTOBY.  [177d 

to  camp,  with  the  loss  of  only  four  men — two  killed  and  two 
frozen  to  death. 

T/ie  effect  of  this  brilliant  feat  was  electrical  It  kindled 
anew  the  fires  of  patriotism.  Troops  whose  time  of  enlist- 
ment was  expiring,  agreed  to  remain.  New  recruits  were 
received.  Howe  was  alarmed,  and  ordered  Cornwallis,  who 
was  just  setting  sail  for  England,  to  return  and  prepare  for  a 
winter's  campaign. 


1777. 

Battle  of  Princeton  (Jan.  3). — Washington  soon  crossed 
the  Delaware  again,  and  took  post  at  Trenton.  Just  be- 
fore sunset  Cornwallis  came  up.  His  first  onset  being  re- 
pulsed, he  decided  to  wait  till  morning.  "Washington's  situ- 
ation was  now  most  critical.  Before  him  was  a  powerful 
army,  and  behind,  an  impassable  river.  That  night,*  leaving 
his  camp-fires  burning  to  deceive  the  enemy,  he  swept  by 
country  roads  around  the  British,  fell  upon  the  troops  near 
Princeton,  routed  them,  took  three  hundred  prisoners,  and  by 
rapid  marches  reached  Morristown  Heights  in  safety.  Corn- 
wallis heard  the  firing  and  hurried  to  the  rescue,  but  he  was 
too  late.  The  victory  was  gained,  and  the  victors  werj3  beyond 
pursuit 


*  Washington  had  forty  cannon.  At  night-fan  the  ground  was  so  soft  that  he 
could  not  move  them ;  hut,  while  the  council  was  in  session,  the  wind  changed, 
and  in  two  hours  the  roads  were  hard  as  pavement.  Erekine  urged  Cornwallis  to 
attack  the  Americans  that  night,  hut  he  said  lie  could  "  catch  the  fox  in  the  morn- 
ing." On  the  morrow  the  fires  were  still  burning,  but  the  army  was  gone.  None 
kr.ew  whither  the  patriots  had  fled.  But  at  sunrise  the  sound  of  firing  was  heard  iii 
the  direction  of  Princeton.  The  report  of  the  cannon  through  the  keen  frosty  air 
could  he  distinctly  heard,  but  Cornwallis  believed  it  to  be  distant  thunder.  Erskine 
however,  exclaimed,  "To  arms,  general!  Washington  has  outgeneraled  us.  Let  us 
fly  to  the  rescue  at  Princeton  !" 


1777.] 


EPOCH    III. 


119 


These  exploits  won  for  Washington  universal  praise,*  and  he 
was  declared  to  be  the  saver  of  his  country. 

During  the  winter,  by  scouting  parties,  he  managed  to  drive 
the  British  nearly  out  of  New  Jersey. 

Battle  of  Brandywine  (Sept  11). — Howe  maneuvered 
for  a  time  to  force  Washing- 
ton to  a  general  fight,  but  the 
'•'American  Fabius"  was  too 
wary.  So  Howe  suddenly  em- 
barked eighteen  thousand  men 
on  his  brother's  fleet,  and  set 
sail.  Washington  hurried  south 
to  meet  him.  The  patriot 
army  numbered  only  eleven  ^ 
thousand,  but  wjien  Washington  18 
learned  that  the  British  had  ^ 
arrived  in  the  Chesapeake,  he 
resolved  to  hazard  a  battle  for 
the  defence  of  Philadelphia. 
The  Americans  accordingly  took  position  at  Chad's  Ford,  on 
the  Brandywine.  Here  they  were  attacked  hi  front  while 
Cornwallis  stole  around  in  the  rear,  as  Clinton  did  in  the  bat- 
tle of  Long  Island.  Sullivan,  Sterling,  La  Fayette,f  Wayne, 

*  Frederick  the  Great  of  Prussia  is  eaid  to  have  declared  that  the  achievements 
of  Washington  and  his  little  band,  during  the  six  weeks  following  Christmas,  were 
the  most  brilliant  recorded  on  the  pages  of  military  history. 

t  La  Fayette's  full  name  was  Marie  Jean  Paul  Roch  Yves  Gilbert  Metier  Marquis 
de  La  Fayette.  At  a  banquet  in  honor  of  the  brother  of  the  English  king,  he  first 
heard  the  Declaration  of  Independence.  He  was  won  by  its  arguments,  and  from 
that  time  joined  his  hopes  and  sympathies  to  the  American  cause.  Yet,  how  was  ho 
to  aid  it?  The  French  nobility,  though  disliking  England, did  not  endorse  the  action 
of  her  colonies'.  He  was  not  yet  twenty  years  of  age,  he  had  just  married  a  woman 
whom  he  tenderly  loved,  his  prospects  at  home  for  honor  and  happiness  were  bright ; 
to  join  the  patriot  army  would  take  him  from  his  native  land,  his  wife,  and  ali  his 
coveted  ambitions,  and  would  lead  him  into  a  struggle  that  seemed  as  hopeless  as  its 
cause  was  jnst.  Yet  his  zeal  for  America  overcame  all  this.  Other  difficulties  now 
came  up.  His  family  objected ;  the  British  minister  protested ;  the  French  king 
withheld  his  permission.  Still  undaunted,  he  purchased  a  vessel,  fitted  it  out  at  his 
own  expense,  and,  escaping  the  officers  sent  to  detain  him,  crossed  the  ocean.  Land- 


MARQUIS   DE   LA   FAYETTE. 


120  UNITED    STATES    II13TO11Y.  [1777. 

and  Count  PulasM,  in  vain  performed  prodigies  of  valor.  The 
patriots  were  routed.  Philadelphia  was  taken,  and  the  Brit- 
ish army  went  into  quarters  there  and  at  German  town.* 

Battle  of  Germantown  (Oct.  4). — Washington  would 
not  let  the  enemies  of  his  country  rest  in  peace.  A  few  weeks 
after  they  had  settled  down  for  the  winter,  he  made  a  night 
march,f  and  at  sunrise  fell  upon  their  troops  at  Germantown. 
At  first  the  attack  was  successful,  but  a  few  companies  of 
British  desperately  defending  a  stone  house  caused  delay. 
The  co-operation  of  the  different  divisions  was  prevented  by 
a  dense  fog,  which  also  hid  the  confusion  of  the  enemy,  so 
that  the  Americans  retreated  just  at  the  moment  of  victory. 

Conclusion  of  the  Campaign  in  Pennsylvania. — 
After  these  battles  Howe  turned  his  attention  to  the  forts  on 
the  Delaware,  which  prevented  his  bringing  supplies  up  to 
Philadelphia.  The  gallant  defenders  were  soon  forced  by  a 
severe  bombardment  to  evacuate.  Washington  now  retired  to 
Valley  Forge  for  winter  quarters. 

Campaign  at  the  North. — While  the  British  had  been 
thus  successful  in  Pennsylvania,  their  victories  were  more  than 
counterbalanced  by  defeats  at  the  North.  An  attempt  to  cut 
off*  New  England  from  New  York  by  an  expedition  along 
the  old  traveled  French  and  Indian  war  route,  up  Lake 
Champlain,  ended  in  disaster.]; 

ing  at  Charleston,  he  hastened  to  Philadelphia,  and  offering  himself  to  Congress 
asked  permission  to  serve  as  a  volunteer  without  pay.  A  few  days  after,  his  acquaint- 
ance with  Washington  hegan,  and  it  soon  ripened  into  a  tender  and  intimate  friend- 
ship. His  valor  won  for  him  a  commission  as  major  general  before  he  was  twenty-one. 

*  The  British  army  was  sadly  demoralized  by  the  festivities  of  their  winter  quar- 
ters. Franklin  wittily  said.  "  Howe  has  not  taken  Philadelphia  so  much  as  Phila- 
delphia has  taken  Howe." 

t  One  thousand  of  his  men  were  barefoot  at  this  time. 

$  Besides  the  capture  of  Burgoyne's  army,  of  which  we  shall  now  speak,  several 
minor  events  occurred  during  the  year,  which,  though  of  little  importance  in  them- 
selves, served  to  encourage  the  people.— Howe  had  sent  General  Tryon  with  two 
thousand  men  to  destroy  the  American  stores  at  Danbury,  Conn.  H?  accomplished 
his- work,  and  then  set  flre  to  the  town.  The  next  day  he  began  his  retreat,  plunder- 
ing the  people  and  devastating  the  country  on  his  way.  But  the  militiamen  under 


1777.]  EPOCH    III.  121 

Burgoyne's  Invasion. — In  June,  Burgoyne  marched 
south  from  Canada  with  an  army  of  ten  thousand  British  and 
Indians.  Forts  Crown  Point,  Ticonderoga,  and  Edward,  and 
the  supplies  at  Whitehall,  successively  fell  into  his  hands. 
General  Schuyler,  with  the  small  force  at  his  command,  could 
only  obstruct  his  path  through  the  wilderness  by  felling  trees 
across  the  road,  and  breaking  down  bridges.  The  loss  of  so 
many  strongholds  caused  general  alarm.  Lincoln — with  the 
Massachusetts  troops,  Arnold — noted  for  his  headlong  valor, 
and  Morgan — with  his  famous  riflemen,  were  sent  to  check 
Burgoyne's  advance.  Militiamen  gathered  from  the  neighbor- 
ing States.*  An  army  was  rapidly  collected  and  drilled.  So 
much  dissatisfaction,  however,  arose  with  Schuyler  that  he  was 

Wooster,  Arnold,  and  Sullivan,  handled  his  forces  so  roughly  that  they  were  glad 
to  reach  their  boats.  General  Wooster,  who  was  killed  in  the  pursuit,  was  seventy 
years  of  age,  but  fought  with  the  vigor  of  youth.  Two  horses  were  shot  from  under 
Arnold,  and  he  received  the  fire  of  a  whole  platoon  at  a  distance  of  thirty  yards, 
yet  he  escaped  uninjured. — Colonel  Meigs  avenged  the  burning  of  Danbury. 
With  one  hundred  and  twenty  State  militiamen  he  crossed  in  whale-boats  to 
Long  Island,  destroyed  a  great  quantity  of  stores,  including  twelve  ships  at 
Sag  Harbor,  and  took  ninety  prisoners  without  losing  a  man. — The  Americans 
were  extremely  anxious  to  offset  the  capture  of  General  Lee,  especially 
as  they  had  no  prisoner  of  equal  rank  to  exchange  for  him.  At  this  time,  Gen- 
eral Prescott,  who  held  command  in  Rhode  Island,  finding  himself  surrounded  by 
ships  and  a  superior  British  force,  became  very  negligent.  Accordingly  Colonel 
Barton  formed  a  plan  to  capture  him.  Dexterously  avoiding  the  enemy's  vessels,  he 
rowed  ten  miles  in  whale-boats  and  with  about  forty  militia  landed  near  Prescott' 8 
quarters.  Seizing  the  astonished  oentinel  who  guarded  his  door,  they  hurried  off  the 
half-dressed  general.  A  soldier  escaping  from  the  house  gave  the  alarm,  but  the 
laughing  guard  assured  him  he  had  seen  a  ghost.  They  soon,  however,  found  it  to 
be  no  jesting  matter,  and  vainly  pursued  the  exultant  Barton.  This  capture  was 
very  annoying  to  Prescott,  as  he  had  just  offered  a  price  for  Arnold's  head,  and  his 
tyrannical  conduct  had  made  him  obnoxious  to  the  people.  General  Howe  readily 
parted  with  Lee  in  exchange  for  Prescott. 

*  The  outrages  of  the  Indians  along  the  route  led  many  to  join  the  army. '  None  of 
their  bloody  acts  caused  more  general  execration  than  the  murder  of  Jane  McCrea. 
This  young  lady  was  the  betrothed  of  a  Captain  Jones  of  the  British  army.  She 
lived  near  Fort  Edward  in  the  family  of  her  brother,  who,  being  a  whig,  started  for 
Albany  on  Burgoyne's  approach.  But  she,  hoping  to  meet  her  lover,  lingered  at  the 
house  of  a  Mrs.  McNeil,  a  staunch  loyalist,  and  a  cousin  of  the  British  General 
Frazer.  Early  one  morning  the  house  was  surprised  by  Indians,  who  dragged  forth 
the  inmates  and  hurried  them  away  toward  Burgoyne's  camp.  Mrs.  McNeil  arrived 
there  in  safety.  A  short  time  after  another  party  came  in  with  fresh  scalps,  among 
which  she  recognized  the  long  glossy  hair  of  her  friend.  The  savages,  on  being 
charged  with  her  murder,  declared  that  she  had  been  killed  by  a  chance  shot  from  a 

6 


IH  I*  X  IT  ED    STATES    HISTORY.  [1777. 

superseded  by  Gates  just  as  lie  was  ready  to  reap  the  results 
of  his  well-laid  schemes.  With  noble-minded  patriotism  ^he 
made  known  to  Gates  aU  his  plans,  and  generously  assisted 
him  in  their  execution.  The  army  was  now  stationed  at 
Bemis's  Heights,  where  fortifications  were  thrown  up  under 
the  direction  of  Kosciusko*  (kos-se-us'-ko). 

Burgoyne's  Difficulties. — In  the  meantime,  before  Gates 
took  command,  two  events  occurred  which  materially  deranged 
the  plans  of  Burgoyne. 

1.  St  Leger  had  been  sent  to  take  Fort  Stanwix  (now 
Eome),  and  thence  to  ravage  the  Mohawk  valley  and  join  Bur- 
goyne's army  at  Albany.  General  Arnold  was  dispatched  by 
General  Schuyler  to  relieve  Fort  Stanwix.  Arnold  accom- 
plished his  mission  by  a  stratagem.  A  half-witted  tory  boy 
who  had  been  taken  prisoner,  was  promised  his  freedom,  if  he 
would  spread  the  report  among  St  Leger's  troops  that  a  large 
body  of  Americans  was  close  at  hand.  The  boy,  having  cut 
holes  in  his  clothes,  ran  breathless  into  the  camp  of  the  be- 
siegers, showing  the  bullet  holes  and  describing  his  narrow 
escape  from  the  enemy.  When  asked  their  number,  he  mys- 
teriously pointed  upward  to  the  leaves  on  the  trees.  The 
Indians  and  British  were  so  frightened  that  they  fled  precipi- 
tately, leaving  their  tents  and  artillery  behind  them. 

pursuing  party ;  whereupon  they  had  scalped  her  to  secure  the  bounty.  The  precise 
truth  has  never  been  known.  Captain  Jones  possessed  himself  of  the  sad  memento 
of  his  betrothed,  and  resigned.  The  government  refusing  his  resignation,  he  deserted, 
and  for  more  than  fifty  years  lived  remote  from  society,  a  heart-broken  man. 

*  This  general  was  a  Pole  of  noble  birth.  While  in  France  he  formed  the  acquaint- 
ance of  Franklin,  who  recommended  him  to  Washington.  He  came  to  America  and 
offered  himself  "  to  fight  as  a  volunteer  for  American  independence.1'  "What  can 
you  do ?"  asked  the  commander.  "Try  me,"  was  Kosciusko's  laconic  reply.  Wash- 
ington was  greatly  pleased  with  him,  and  made  him  his  aid.  He  became  a  colonel  in 
the  engineer  corps,  and  superintended  the  construction  of  the  works  at  West  Point. 
After  the  war  he  returned  home  and  led  the  Poles  in  their  struggles  for  independence. 
He  died  an  exile.  At  Cracow  is  a  mound  of  earth.  150  feet  high,  raised  in  his  mem- 
ory. It  is  composed  of  earth  brought  from  the  battle-fields  on  which  the  Poles  fought 
for  liberty.  In  the  new  world  his  name  is  perpetuated  by  a  monument  at  West 
Point,  erected  by  the  cadets. 


1777.J 


EPOCH    III. 


123 


2.  Burgoyne  sent  a  detachment  under  Colonel  Baum  to 
seize  the  supplies  the  Americans  had  collected  at  Bennington, 
Vt.  General  Stark  with  the  militia  met  him  there.  As  Stark 
saw  the  British  lines  forming  for  the  attack,  he  exclaimed, 
"There  are  the  red-coats;  we  must  heat  them  to-day,  or 
Molly  Stark  is  a  widow."  His  patriotism  and  bravery  so 
inspired  his  raw  troops  that  they  defeated  the  British  regulars 
and  took  about  six  hundred  prisoners.* 

The  two  Battles  of  Saratoga  (Sept.  19  and  Oct.  7).— > 
Disappointed  of  the  supplies  and  reinforcements  he  had  ex- 
pected in  both  these  directions,  Burgoyne  now  moved  south 

*  One  old  man  had  five  sons  in  the  patriot  army  at  Benninsrton.  A  neighbor,  jnst 
from  the  field,  told  him  that  one  had  heen  unfortunate.  "Has  he  proved  a  coward  or 
a  traitor?"  asked  the  father.  "Worse  than  that,"  was  the  answer,  "he  has  fallen 
but  while  bravely  fighting."  "  Ah."  Fai:l  the  father.  "  then  I  am  satisfied." 


124  UNITED    STATES     HISTOEY.  [1777 

ward  and  attacked  Gates's  army  at  Bemis's  Heights  near  Sara- 
toga. The  armies  surged  to  and  fro  through  the  day,  like  th( 
ibbing  and  flowing  of  the  tide.  The  strife  did  not  cease  until 
darkness  closed  over  the  battle-field.  For  two  weeks  after- 
ward, the  armies  lay  in  their  camps  fortifying  themselves,  and 
each  watching  for  an  opportunity  to  take  the  other  at  a  disad- 
vantage.* Burgoyne,  finding  that  his  provisions  were  low  and 
that  he  must  either  fight  or  fly,  again  moved  out  to  attack  the 
Americans.  Arnold,  who  had  been  unjustly  deprived  of  his 
command  since  the  last  battle,  maddened  by  the  sight  of  the 
conflict,  rushed  into  the  thickest  of  the  fight,  f  Gates,  fearing 
that  he  might  win  fresh  laurels,  ordered  Major  Armstrong  to 
recall  him,  but  he  was  already  out  of  reach.  He  had  no 
authority  to  fight,  much  less  to  direct;  but,  dashing  to  the 
head  of  his  old  command,  where  he  was  received  with  cheers, 
he  ordered  a  charge  on  the  British  line.  Urging  on  the 
fight,  leading  every  onset,  delivering  his  orders  in  person 
where  the  bullets  flew  thickest,  he  forced  the  British  J  to  their 
camp.  Here  the  Hessians,  dismayed  by  these  terrific  attacks, 
fired  one  volley  and  fled.  Arnold,  having  forced  an  entrance, 
was  wounded  in  the  same  leg  as  at  Quebec,  and  borne  from  the 

*  The  British  camp  was  kept  in  constant  alarm.  Officers  and  soldiers  were  con- 
etantly  dressed  and  ready  for  action.  One  night,  twenty  young  farmers  residing  near 
the  camp,  resolved  to  capture  the  enemy's  advance  picket  guard.  Armed  with  fowl 
ing-pieces  they  marched  silently  through  the  woods  until  they  were  within  a  few 
yards  of  the  picket.  They  then  rushed  out  from  the  bushes,  the  captain  blowing  an 
old  horse-trumpet  and  the  men  yelling.  There  was  no  time  for  the  sentinel's  hail. 
"  Ground  your  arms,  or  you  are  all  dead  men  !"  cried  Ihe  patriot  captain.  Thinking 
that  a  large  force  had  fallen  upon  them,  the  picket  obeyed.  The  young  farmers  led  1o 
the  American  camp,  with  all  the  parade  of  regulars,  over  thirty  British  soldiers. 

t  So  fierce  was  the  battle,  that  a  single  cannon  was  taken  and  retaken  five  limes. 
Finally,  Colonel  Cilly  leaped  upon  it,  waved  his  sword,  and  "  dedicating  the  gun  to 
the  American  cause,"  opened  it  upon  the  enemy  with  their  own  ammunition. 

t  General  Fraser  was  the  mind  and  soul  of  the  British  army.  Morgan  soon  eaw 
that  this  brave  man  alone  stood  between  the  Americans  and  victory.  Calling  to  him 
some  of  his  best  men  he  said,  "  That  gallant  officer  ie  General  Fraser.  I  admire  and 
honor  him  ;  but  he  must  die.  Stand  among  those  bushes  and  do  your  duty."  In  five 
minutes  Fraser  fell,  mortally  wounded. 


1777.]  EPOCH   ill.  125 

field,  but  not  until  he  had  won  a  victory  while  Gates  stayed  in 
his  tent 

Effects  of  these  Battles. — Burgoyne  now  fell  back  to  Sara- 
toga. Hemmed  in  on  all  sides,  there  was  no  hope  of  escape. 
Indians  and  tories  were  constantly  deserting.  Provisions  were 
low  and  water  was  scarce,  as  no  one,  except  the  women, 
dared  to  go  to  the  river  for  it.  The  American  batteries  com- 
manded the  British  camp.  While  a  council  of  war,  held  in 
3urgoyne's  tent,  was  considering  the  question  of  surrender, 
an  18  Ib.  cannon-ball  passed  over  the  table  around  which  the 
officers  sat.  Under  these  circumstances  the  decision  was 
quickly  made.  The  entire  army,  nearly  six  thousand  strong, 
laid  down  their  arms,  and  were  marched  past  the  American 
lines  to  the  tune  of  Yankee  Doodle.  General  Burgoyne 
handed  his  sword  to  General  Gates,  who  promptly  returned  it. 

A  shout  of  joy  went  up  all  over  the  land  at  the  news  of  this 
victory.  From  the  despair  caused  by  the  defeats  of  Brandy- 
wine  and  Germantown,  the  nation  bounded  to  the  highest 
pitch  of  joy  and  confidence. 


1778. 

"Winter  in  Valley  Forge. — The  winter  passed  in  Valley 
Forge  was  the  gloomiest  period  of  the  war.  The  continental 
paper  money  was  so  depreciated  in  value  that  an  cfncei-'s  pay 
would  not  keep  him  in  clothes.  Many,  having  spent  their 
entire  fortune  in  the  war,  were  now  compelled  to  resign,  in 
order  to  get  a  living.  The  men  were  encamped  in  cold,  com- 
fortless huts,  with  little  food  or  clothing.  Barefooted,  they 
left  on  the  frozen  ground  their  tracks  in  blood.  Few  had 
blankets.  Straw  could  not  be  obtained.  Soldiers,  who  were 
enfeebled  by  hunger  and  benumbed  by  cold,  slept  on  the  bare 


120 


UNITED     STATES     H  I  S  T  0  11  Y  . 


[1778. 


earth.  Sickness  followed.  With  no  change  of  clothing,  no 
suitable'  food,  and  no  medicines,  death  was  the  only  relief. 
Amid  this  terrible  suffering  the  fires  of  patriotism  burned 
brightly.  Washington  felt 
that  his  cause  was  just,  and 
inspired  all  around  him  with 
his  sublime  faith.*  We  cannot 
estimate  too  highly  the  en- 
durance of  our  Revolutionary 
sires.  To  die  on  the  field  of 
battle  is  heroic,  but  a  far 
greater  patriotism  is  required 
to  freeze  or  starve  for  one's 
native  land. 

Aid  from  France. — In 
the  spring  the  hearts  of  all 
were  gladdened  by  news  that,  through  the  efforts  of  Frank- 
lin, f  France  had  acknowledged  the  Independence  of  the 

*  During  this  winter  Washington  was  quartered  at  the  honse  of  Isaac  Potts.  One 
day,  while  Potts  was  on  his  way  up  the  creek  he  heard  a  voice  of  prayer.  Softly  fol- 
lowing its  direction,  he  soon  discovered  the  General  upon  his  knees,  his  cheeks  wet 
with  tears.  Narrating  the  incident  to  hia  wife,  he  added  with  much  emotion,  "If 
there  is  any  one  to  whom  the  Lord  will  listen,  it  is  George  Washington,  and  under 
such  a  commander,  our  independence  is  certain."— Besides  all  the  perils  of  want  and 
famine  which  he  shared  with  his  soldiers,  Washington  wag  called  upon  to  suffer  from 
envy  and  calumny.  General  Conway,  a  cunning,  restless  intriguer,  formed  a  cabal 
of  officers  against  Washington.  Their  plan  was  to  so  wound  his  feelings  that  he 
would  resign.  In  that  event  Gates,  whose  reputation  was  very  high,  would  succeed 
to  the  command.  Pennsylvania  Bent  to  Congress  a  remonstrance  censuring  Wash- 
ington. The  --ame  was  done  by  members  from  Massachusetts.  Fortunately,  the 
army  and  the  best  citizens  knew  the  inspiration  of  the  whole  movement  to  be  jeal- 
ousy. Their  indignation  was  unbounded.  Neither  Conway  nor  Adams  dared  show 
himself  among  the  soldiers,  and  eoon  the  attack  recoiled  on  the  heads  of  its  in- 
stigators. 

t  Benjamin  Franklin  was  born  in  Boston,  1706,  N.  S. ;  died  in  Philadelphia 
1790.  His  father  was  a  poor  soap  and  candle  maker,  and  Benjamin,  being  the  young- 
est of  seventeen  children,  had  little  opportunity  to  gratify  his  desire  for  knowledge. 
By  abstaining  from  meat  for  two  years,  he  managed  to  buy  a  few  books,  which  he 
diligently  studied.  At  seventeen  years  of  age  he  landed  in  Philadelphia  with  a  silver 
dollar  and  a  shilling  in  copper.  As,  with  his  extra  shirts  and  stockings  stuffed  in  his 
pockets,  he  walked  along  the  streets,  eating  the  roll  of  bread  which  served  for  his 
breakfast,  his  future  wife  stood  at  her  father's  door  and  watched  his  awkward  ap. 


1778.]  EPOCH    III  1^7 

United  States,  and  that  a  fleet  was  on  its  way  to  help 
them* 

Battle  of  Monmouth  (June  28). — Howe  having  re- 
turned to  England,  Clinton  succeeded  him.  Alarmed  by 
the  approach  of  the  French  fleet,  he  resolved  to  concentrate 
his  forces  at  New  York.  "Washington  followed  him  across  New 
Jersey.  The  two  armies  met  at  Monmouth.  General  Lee,f 

pearance,  little  dreaming  of  his  brilliant  future,  or  of  its  interest  to  her.  He  soon 
obtained  employment  as  a  printer.  Being  induced  by  false  representations  to  go  to 
England,  he  found  himself  almost  penniless  in  a  strange  land.  With  his  usual  in- 
dustry he  went  to  work,  and  soon  made  friends  and  a  good  living.  Returning  to 
Philadelphia  he  established  a  newspaper,  and  in  1732  commenced  to  publish  "Poor 
Richard's  Almanac,"  which  for  twenty  years  was  greatly  popular  in  Europe  as  well 
as  America.  Its  common-sense  proverbs  and  useful  hints  are  household  words  to 
this  day.  Retiring  from  business  with  a  fine  fortune,  he  devoted  himself  chiefly  to 
science.  His  discoveries  in  electricity  are  world-renowned.  (See  Fourteen  Weeks 
in  Philosophy,  pp.  281-3.)  Franklin  was  an  unflinching  patriot.  While  in  England 
he  defended  the  cause  of  liberty  with  great  zeal  and  ability.  He  helped  to  draft  the 
Declaration  of  Independence,  and  was  one  of  its  signers.  Having  been  appointed 
ambassador  to  France,  he  first  invested  all  his  ready  money,  $15.000,  in  the  conti- 
nental loan,  a  practical  proof  of  his  patriotism,  since  its  repayment  was  extremely 
improbable.  His  influence  at  the  French  court  was  unbounded.  He  was  revered 
for  his  dignity,  his  genius,  his  wit,  and  his  charming  conversation.  He  became  to 
the  American  cause  in  the  old  world  what  Washington  was  to  it  in  the  new.  On 
his  return  he  was  elected  president  of  Pennsylvania  for  three  successive  years.  He 
gave  the  whole  of  his  salary,  $30,000,  to  benevolent  objects.  In  his  eighty-second 
year  he  was  a  member  of  the  Constitutional  Convention.  At  his  death  twenty 
thousand  persons  assembled  to  do  honor  to  his  memory. 

*  At  this  juncture  England  sent  commissioners  with  lib  ral  proposals,  which,  be- 
fore the  war  commenced,  would  have  been  accepted;  but  that  day  was  now  past. 
Next  bribery  was  tried.  Among  those  approached  was  General  Reed  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. He  was  offered  ten  thousand  guineas  and  distinguished  honors  if  he  would 
exert  his  influence  to  effect  a  reconciliation.  "  I  am  not  worth  purchasing,"  said 
the  honest  patriot,  "  but  such  as  I  am,  the  king  of  Great  Britain  is  not  rich  enough 
to  buy  me." 

t  Charles  Lee  was  born  in  Cheshire,  England,  1731,  and  died  In  Philadelphia,  1782. 
When  only  eleven  years  of  age  he  is  said  to  have  held  a  commission  in  the  English 
army.  He  belonged  to  Braddock's  command,  and  thus  received  his  first  lesson  in 
American  warfare.  In  the  attack  on  Ticonderoga  (1758)  he  was  wounded.  He  be- 
came a  lieutenant-colonel  and  distinguished  himself  by  his  valor  in  Spain.  His  pro- 
motion, however,  was  eo  slow  that  he  became  disgusted, '  resigned  his  commission, 
and  (1773)  came  to  the  new  world  to  seek  his  fortune.  As  a  general  of  renown,  and 
an  intense  writer  in  behalf  of  liberty,  he  was  kindly  received  by  Washington  and 
other  patriots.  At  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  he  was  assigned  the  rank  of  major- 
general,  and  was  honored  by  Washington's  confidence  in  all  military  affairs.  His 
bitter  spirit,  irascible  temper,  and  ambitious  designs,  often  led  him  into  trouble.  For 
his  conduct  at  Monmouth,  and  his  disrespectful  letters  to  Washington,  and  afterward 
to  Congress,  he  was  dismissed  from  the  army.  He  retired  to  his  estate  in  Virginia, 
where  he  lived  in  a  rude  house  whose  only  partitions  were  chalk  marks  on  the  floor— 


1;>8  UNITED    STATES    H  I  S  T  0  11  Y  . 

who  conducted  the  attack,  ordered  a  retreat  The  men,  en- 
tangled in  a.  swamp,  were  becoming  demoralized  as  they  re- 
iired  from  the  field,  when  Washington,  riding  up,  bitterly 
rebuked  Lee,  by  his  personal  presence  rallied  the  men,  and 
sent  him  back  against  the  enemy.  The  fight  lasted  all  that 
long  sultry  day.*  In  the  darkness  of  night  Clinton  stole  away 
with  his  men  to  New  York. 

Campaign  in  Rhode  Island. — A  combined  attack  on 
Newport  was  arranged  to  be  made  by  the  French  fleet  under 
D'Estaing  (des-tang),  and  the  American  army  under  General 
Sullivan.  Soon  after  the  French  entered  Narraganset  Bay, 
Howe  arrived  off  the  harbor  with  the  English  fleet.  D'Estaing 
went  out  to  meet  him.  A  terrible  •  storm  came  on,  which 
so  shattered  both  fleets  that  they  were  compelled  to  put  back 
for  repairs.  General  Sullivan,  being  thus  deserted,  retreated 
just  in  time  to  escape  Clinton,  who  came  up  from  New  York 
with  reinforcements.  The  French  gave  no  further  aid  during 
this  year. 

The  Wyoming  Massacre. — In  July,  a  band  of  tories 
and  Indians  under  Butler,  entered  the  beautiful  valley  of  the 
Wyoming.  Most  of  the  able-bodied  men  had  gone  to  tLe  war. 
The  old  men  and  the  boys  armed  for  the  defence.  The 
women  and  children  fled  for  refuge  to  a  fort  near  the  present 
site  of  Wilkesbarre.  Taking  counsel  of  their  courage,  and 
their  defenceless  mothers,  wives,  and  children,  a  handful  of 
men  sallied  out  to  meet  the  invaders.  They  were  soon  de- 
an improvement  upon  walla  on  which  he  prided  himself-surronnded  by  his  dogs, 
which  were  his  only  intimate  companions.  He  continued  to  most  virulently  assail 
Washington.  While  on  a  visit  to  Philadelphia  he  was  fatally  attacked  by  fever. 
His  dying  words  were,  "  Stand  by  now,  my  brave  grenadiers  1 " 

*  During  the  day  an  artilleryman  was  shot  at  his  post.  His  wife,  Mary  Pitcher, 
while  bringing  water  to  her  husband  from  a  spring,  saw  him  fall  and  heard  the  com- 
mander order  the  piece  to  be  removed  from  the  field.  Instantly  dropping  the  pail, 
she  hastened  to  the  cannon,  seized  the  rammer,  and  with  great  skill  and  courage 
performed  her  husband's  duty.  The  soldiers  gave  her  the  nickname  of  Major  Molly. 
On  the  day  after  the  battle  she  was  presented  to  Washington,  and  received  a  ser- 
geant's commission  with  half-pay  throti"h  life. 


1778. J  EPOCH    III.  129 

feated.  All  that  night  the  Indians  tortured  their  prisoners  in 
every  way  that  savage  cruelty  could  devise.  The  fort  having 
been  surrendered  on  promise  of  safety,  Butler  did  his  best  to 
restrain  his  savage  allies,  but  in  vain.  By  night  the  whole 
valley  was  ablaze  with  burning  dwellings,  while  the  people  fled 
for  their  lives  through  the  wilderness. 


1779. 

Campaign  at  the  South. — At  the  close  of  the  preceding 
autumn  the  scene  of  conflict  was  transferred  to  Georgia.* 
Savannah  and  Augusta  were  captured,  and  soon  the  entire 
State  was  conquered.  The  British  governor  being  restored, 
England  could  once  more  boast  of  a  royal  province  among  the 
colonies.  Prevost  now  led  the  British  against  Charleston, 
S.  C.  He  had  scarcely  summoned  the  city  when  he  heard 
that  Lincoln,  his  dreaded  foe,  was  after  him  with  the  militia. 
Prevost  escaped,  however,  and  returned  to  Savannah.  In 
September,  D'Estaing  joined  Lincoln  in  an  attack  upon  that 
city.  After  a  severe  bombardment  an  unsuccessful  assault 
was  made.  A  thousand  lives  were  lost.  Count  Pulaskif  was 
mortally  wounded.  The  simple-hearted  Sergeant  Jasper  died 
grasping  the  banner  presented  to  his  regiment  at  Fort  Moul- 
trie.  D'Estaing  refused  to  give  further  aid ;  thus  again  de- 
serting the  Americans  when  help  was  most  needed. 

*  The  British,  discouraged  by  their  failure  to  subdue  the  eastern  and  middle  States, 
during  the  remainder  of  the  war  put  forth  their  principal  strength  at  the  South. 

t  Count  Pulaski  was  a  Polish  patriot  who,  having  lost  his  father  and  brothers  in 
the  hopeless  defence  of  his  country,  and  being  himself  outlawed,  had  eome  to  fight 
for  the  freedom  of  America.  At  first  he  served  as  a  volunteer.  He  fought  valiantly 
at  the  battle  of  Brandywine.  During  the  second  year  he  commanded  an  independent 
corps  of  cavalry,  lancers,  and  light  infantry,  called  "  Pulaski's  Legion,"  with  which 
he  did  effectual  service.  He  was  buried  in  the  Savannah  River.  The  corner-stone  o! 
a  monument  raised  to  his  memory  in  Savannah,  was  laid  by  La  Fayette  while  visiting 
that  city  during  his  triumphal  progress  through  the  United  States. 


130  UXITED    STATES    HIST  GET.  [1779. 

Campaign  at  the  North. — Clinton  did  little  except  to 
send  out  predatory  parties.  Norwalk,  Fairfield,  and  New 
Haven,  Conn.,  were  burned  or  plundered.  Tryon,  who  com- 
manded the  Connecticut  expedition,*  boasted  of  his  clemency 
in  leaving  a  single  house  standing  on  the  New  England 
coast. 

The  Capture  of  Stony  Point  by  General  Wayne,  with 
only  eight  hundred  men,  was  one  of  the  most  brilliant  exploits 
of  the  war.  The  countersign,  which,  curiously  enough,  was 
"  The  fort  is  ours,"  was  obtained  of  a  negro  who  was  in  the 
habit  of  selling  strawberries  at  the  fort.  He  guided  them  in 
the  darkness  to  the  causeway  leading  over  the  flooded  marsh 
around  the  foot  of  the  hill,  on  which  the  fort  was  situated. 
The  unsuspicious  sentinel,  having  received  the  countersign, 
was  chatting  with  the  negro,  when  he  was  suddenly  seized  and 
gagged.  Wayne's  men  passed  over  the  causeway  and  reached 
the  base  of  the  hill  undiscovered.  Just  before  midnight,  with 
unloaded  muskets  and  fixed  bayonets,  they  commenced  tfie 
ascent  of  the  steep  and  narrow  path  which  led  to  the  top. 
They  had  nearly  reached  the  picket  before  they  were  dis- 
covered. Fire  was  at  once  opened  upon  them.  Wayne  was 
wounded,  but  commanded  his  aids  to  carry  him  that  he  might 
die  at  the  head  of  the  column.  The  rush  of  his  men  was 
irresistible.  An  instant  more,  and  a  deafening  shout  told  that 
the  fort  was  won.  The  British  lost  in  killed,  wounded,  and 
prisoners,  six  hundred  men. 

General  Sullivan's  Expedition. — The  atrocities  of  the 
Indians  had  kept  the  inhabitants  of  the  Wyoming  and 
Mohawk  valleys  in  continued  terror.  In  the  summer,  General 

*  General  Putnam  was  at  Horse  Neck  when  Tryon  was  in  the  vicinity.  Hastily 
gathering  a  few  militia,  he  annoyed  the  British  as  long  as  possible,  and  then,  com- 
pelled  to  flee  before  the  enemy's  overwhelming  force,  his  men  hid  themselves  in  the 
adjacent  swamp,  while  he,  spurring  his  spirited  horse  over  a  precipice,  descended 
i  zigzag  path,  where  the  British  dragoons  did  not  dare  to  follow. 


1779.] 


E'POCH    III. 


131 


Sullivan  led  an  expedition  into  the  Genesee  country.  Near 
Elmira,  N.  Y.,  a  fierce  battle  was  fought  with  the  Indians  and 
their  tory  allies.  Being  defeated,  they  fled  in  dismay,  while 
Sullivan  marched  to  and  fro  through  that  beautiful  region, 
laying  waste  their  corn-fields,  felling  their  orchards,  and  burn- 
ing their  houses.* 

Naval  Exploits. — No  American  successes  caused  more 
annoyance  to  the  British  than  those  of  the  navy.  In  1775, 
Washington  fitted  out  several  vessels  to  cruise  along  the  New 
England  coast  as  privateers.  In  the  same  year  Congress 
established  a  naval  department.  Swift  sailing  vessels,  manned 

*  The  Indians,  in  the  fertile  country  of  the  Cayugas  and  Senecas,  had  towns  and 
villages  regularly  laid  out.  They  had  framed  houses,  some  of  them  well  finished, 
painted,  and  having  chimney?.  Thejt  also  had  broad  and  productive  fields,  and 
orchards  of  apple,  pear,  and  peach  trees. 


132  UNITED    STATES    HISTORY.  [1779. 

by  bold  seamen,  infested  every  avenue  of  commerce.  Within 
three  years  they  captured  five  hundred  ships.  They  even 
cruised  among  the  British  isles,  and,  entering  harbors,  seized 
and  burned  ships  lying  at  English  wharves.  Among  naval 
heroes  no  name  is  more  celebrated  than  that  of  Paul  Jones. 
Off  the  coast  of  England,  occurred  his  memorable  action  in 
the  Bon  Homme  Richard*  against  the  Serapis.  As  the  enemy 
carried  heavier  guns,  he  lashed  the  two  vessels  together.! 
The  muzzles  of  the  guns  touched,  and  the  gunners  in  working 
their  pieces  often  thrust  their  ramrods  into  the  port-holes  of 
the  other  ship.  For  two  hours  they  fought  hand  to  hand  with 
musket,  pike,  and  cutlass.  The  Bon  Homme  was  old  and 
rotten,  and  soon  became  almost  unmanageable.  Water 
poured  into  the  hold.  Only  three  of  the  guns  could  be 
worked.  Grenades  were  thrown  on  the  Serapis,  and  flames 
burst  out  in  a  dozen  places.  Three  times  both  vessels  were  on 
fire.  At  last,  Pearson,  the  captain  of  the  Serapis,  struck  his 
colors.  The  Bon  Homme  was  already  sinking.  Jones  trans- 
ferred his  men  to  the  captured  frigate,  and  sailed  off  with  hia 
prize. 


178O. 

Campaign  at  the  South. — Georgia  having  been  sub- 
dued, the  war  was  now  renewed  in  South  Carolina.  Charles- 
ton was  attacked  by  land  and  sea.  General  Lincoln,  after 

*  Jones  had  given  this  name  (Goodman  Richard)  to  his  ship  in  honor  of  Dr. 
Franklin,  whose  sayings  as  "  Poor  Richard,"  he  warmly  admired. 

t  At  this  point  the  contest  had  been  raging  an  hour,  and  the  ships  had  twice  fallen 
fonl  of  each  other.  The  first  time,  the  Serapis  hailed  the  Richard,  asking  if  she  had 
"  struck  her  colors."  "  I  have  not  yet  begun  to  fight,"  was  the  reply  of  Jones.  The 
second  time,  "  Jones  with  his  own  hands  assisted  in  lashing  the  jib-stay  of  the 
Serapis  to  the  mizzen-mast  of  the  Richard.1'  The  Serapis  now  let  go  an  anchoi 
hoping  to  drift  clear,  but  in  vain, for  the  ships  were  fastened,  head  and  stern. 


1780.  J  EPOCH    III.  133 

enduring  a  siege  of  forty  days  and  a  terrible  bombardment, 
was  forced  to  surrender.  Cormvallis  at  once  sent  out  expe- 
ditions* in  every  direction,  and  the  whole  State  was  soon 
overrun. 

Battle  of  Camden  (Aug.  16). — General  Gates,  "the  con- 
queror of  Burgoyne,"  now  taking  command  of  the  troops  at 
the  South,f  marched  to  meet  the  enemy  under  Cornwallis 
near  Camden,  Singularly,  both  generals  had  appointed  the 
same  time  to  make  a  night  attack.  While  marching  for  this 
purpose,  the  advance  guards  of  the  two  armies  unexpectedly 
encountered  each  other  in  the  woods.  After  some  sharp 
skirmishing  the  armies  waited  for  day.  At  dawn  Cornwallis 
ordered  a  charge.  The  militia,  demoralized  by  the  fighting  in 
the  night,  fled  at  the  first  fire.  De  Kalb,  with  the  conti- 
nental regulars,  stood  firm.  At  last  he  fell,  pierced  with 
eleven  wounds.  His  brave  comrades  for  a  time  fought  desper- 
ately over  his  body,  but  were  overwhelmed  by  numbers.  The 
army  was  so  scattered  that  it  could  not  be  collected.  A  few 
of  the  officers  met  Gates  eighty  miles  in  the  rear  with  no 
soldiers.  All  organized  resistance  to  British  rule  now  ceased 
in  the  South. 

Partisan  Corps. — The  Carolinas  were  full  of  tories.  Many 
of  them  joined  the  British  army;  others  organized  com- 
panies which  mercilessly  robbed  and  murdered  their  whig 
neighbors.  On  the  other  hand  there  were  patriot  bands  which 
rendezvoused  (ron-da-vood)  in  swamps,  and  sallied  out  as 
occasion  offered.  These  partisan  corps  kept  the  country  in 


*  One  of  these,  under  the  command  of  the  brutal  Tarleton,  at  Waxhaw  Creek, 
overtook  a  body  of  four  hundred  Continental  troops  and  a  small  party  of  cavalry 
under  Colonel  Buford.  The  British  gave  no  quarter,  and  after  the  Americans  sur- 
rendered, mercilessly  maimed  and  butchered  the  larger  portion  of  them. 

t  Lee  met  Gates  on  his  way  to  join  the  southern  army.  His  well-worded  caution, 
''Beware  your  northern  laurels  do  not  turn  to  southern  willows,"  seems  almost 
prophetic  of  the  Camden  disaster. 


U2TITED    STATES    HISTORY. 


[1780. 


continued  terror.  Marion,*  Sumpter,f  Pickens,  and  Lee,  were 
noted  patriot  leaders.  Their  bands  were  strong  enough  to  cut 
off  British  detachments,  and  even  successfuDy  attack  small 
garrisons.  The  cruel  treatment  .  which  the  whigs  received 
from  the  British^  drove  many  to  this  partisan  warfare.  The 
issue  of  the  contest  at  the  south  was  largely  decided  by  these 
bold  citizen  soldiers. 

Continental  Money  had  iiow  been  issued  by  Congress 
to  the  amount  of  $200.000,- 
000.  At  this  time  it  was  so 
much  depreciated  that  840 
in  bills  were  worth  only  81 
in  specie.  A  pair  of  boots 
cost  8600  in  continental 
currency.  A  soldier's  pay 
for  a  month  would  hardly 


*  A  British  officer  sent  to  negotiate  concerning  an  exchange  of  prisoners,  dined 
with  Marion.  The  dinner  consisted  of  roasted  potatoes.  Surprised  at  this  meagre 
diet,  he  made  some  inquiries,  when  he  found  that  this  was  their  customary  fare,  and 
also  that  the  patriot  general  served  without  pay.  This  devotion  to  the  cause  of  lib- 
erty BO  affected  the  officer  that  he  resigned  his  commission.  He  thought  it  folly  to 
fight  such  men. 

t  At  Hanyiny  Hock  (Aug.  6)  Sumpter  gained  a  victory  over  a  strong  body  of  Brit- 
ish andtories.  He  begun  the  action  with  only  two  rounds  of  ammunition,  but  soon 
supplied  himself  from  the  fleeing  tories.  Frequently,  in  these  contests,  a  portion 
of  the  bands  would  go  into  a  battle  without  guns,  arming  themselves  with  the 
muskets  of  their  comrades  as  they  fell.—  At  King's  Mountain  (Oct.  7)  a  large  body  of 
Independent  riflemen,  each  company  under  its  own  leader,  attacked  Ferguson,  who 
had  been  sent  out  to  rally  the  tories  of  the  neighborhood.  Ferguson  and  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  of  his  men  were  killed,  and  the  rest  taken  prisoners. 

t  An  event  which  occurred  in  Charleston  aroused  the  bitterest  resentment. 
When  that  city  was  captured  by  the  British,  Colonel  Isaac  Hayne,  with  others, 
was  paroled,  'but  was  afterwards  ordered  into  the  British  ranks.  At  this  time 
his  wife  and  several  of  his  children  lay  at  the  point  of  death  with  small-pox.  The 
choice  was  given  him  to  become  a  British  subject  or  to  be  placed  in  close  confine- 
ment. Agonized  by  thoughts  of  his  dying  family,  he  signed  a  pledge  of  allegiance  to 
England,  with  the  assurance  that  he  should  never  be  required  to  fight  asrainst  his 
countrymen.  Being  afterward  summoned  by  Lord  Rawdon  to  join  the  British  army, 
he  considered  the  pledge  annulled,  and  raised  a  partisan  band.  lie  was  captured,  and 
without  being  allowed  a  trial,  was  condemned  to  death.  The  citizens  of  Charleston 
vainly  implored  pardon  for  him.  Lord  Eawdon  allowed  him  forty-eight  hours  in 
which  to  take  leave  of  his  orphan  children,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  was  hanged, 


1780.]  EPOCH    III.  135 

the  matter  worse,  the  British  had  flooded  the  country  with 
counterfeits,  which  could  not  be  told  from  the  genuine.  Many 
persons  refused  to  take  continental  money.  The  sufferings 
of  the  soldiers  and  the  difficulty  of  procuring  supplies  may 
be  readily  imagined.*  The  Pennsylvania  regiments'  in  camp 
at  Morristown,  claiming  that  their  time  had  expired,  de- 
manded their  discharge.  At  last,  1,300  strong,  they  set  out 
for  Washington  to  secure  redress  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet.f 
A  committee  of  Congress  succeeded  in  satisfying  them. 

'Arnold's  Treason.— The  English  did  little  at  the  North, 
and  the  condition  of  Washington's  army  prevented  his 
making  any  movement.  Meanwhile  the  cause  of  liberty 
suffered  a  terrible  blow  from  one  who  had  been  its  gallant 
defender.  General  Arnold,  whose  bravery  at  Quebec  and 
Saratoga  had  awakened  universal  admiration,  was  stationed  at 
Philadelphia  while  his  wound  was  healing.  He  there  married 
a  tory  lady  and  lived  in  great  extravagance.  By  various  acts 
of  oppression,  he  rendered  himself  so  odious  that  on  one 
occasion  he  was  publicly  mobbed.  Charges  being  preferred 
against  him,  he  was  convicted  and  sentenced  to  be  repri- 
manded by  the  commander-in-chief.  Washington  performed 
the  duty  very  gently  and  considerately ;  but  Arnold,  stung  by 
the  disgrace,  and  desperate  in  fortune,  resolved  to  gratify  both 
his  revenge  and  lose  of  money  by  betraying  his  country.  He 
accordingly  secured  from  Washington  the  command  of  West 
Point,  at  that  time  the  most  important  post  in  America.  He 
then  proposed  to  Clinton,  with  whom  he  had  previously  cor- 
responded, to  surrender  it  to  the  British.  The  idea  was  ac- 

*  In  this  crisis,  Robert  Morris,  a  wealthy  citizen  of  Philadelphia,  Bent  three  mil- 
lion rations  to  the  army.  Soldiers'  relief  associations  were  also  organized  by  the 
women  of  that  city.  Those  who  had  money  gave  it,  and  the  poor  contributed  their 
•work.  Twenty-two  hundred  shirts  were  thus  made,  on  each  of  which  was  inscribed 
the  name  of  the  lady  who  sewed  it. 

t  Clinton's  agents  went  among  the  discontented  troops  offering  large  rewards  for 
desertion.  The  emissaries  mistook  their  men,  for  the  soldiers  seized  them  and  gave 
them  up  as  spies. 


136  U  X  I  T  E  D     STATES    HISTORY.  [1780. 

cepted,  and  Major  Andre  appointed  to  confer  with  him. 
Andre  ascended  the  Hudson  in  the  Vulture,  an  English  sloop- 
of-war,  landed  near  West  Point,  and  at  midnight  met  the 
traitor.  Morning  dawned  before  they  had  completed  their 
plans.  In  the  mean  time,  fire  having  heen  opened  on  the 
Vulture,  she  had  dropped  down  the  river.  Andre,  now  left 
within  the  American  lines,  was  obliged  to  make  his  way  back 
to  New  York  by  land.  He  had  reached  Tarrytown  in  safety, 
when,  at  a  sudden  turn,  his  horse's  reins  were  seized,  and 
three  men*  sprang  into  the  road  before  him.  His  manner 
awakening  suspicion,  they  searched  him,  and  finding  papers 
which  seemed  to  prove  him  a  spy,  they  carried  him  to  the 
nearest  American  postf  Arnold  was  at  breakfast,  when  he 
received  a  note  announcing  Andre's  capture.  Calling  aside 
his  wife,  he  told  her  of  his  peril.  Terrified  by  his  words,  she 
fainted.  Kissing  his  boy,  who  lay  asleep  in  the  cradle,  Arnold 
darted  out  of  the  house,  mounted  a  horse,  by  an  unfrequented 
path  readied  the  river,  jumped  into  his  boat,  and  was  rowed 
to  the  Vulture,  which  lay  a  few  miks  below.J 

Andre  was  tried  and  hung  as  a  spy.  Every  effort  was 
made  to  save  him,  and  his  fate  awakened  universal  sympathy. 
Arnold  received,  as  the  reward  of  his  treachery,  £6,315,  a 
colonelcy  in  the  English  army,  and  the  contempt  of  every- 
body. The  very  name,  "Arnold  the  Traitor,"  will  always 
declare  his  infamy .§ 

*  The  names  of  these  men  were  Paulding,  Van  Wart,  and  Williams.  Andre1 
offered  them  his  horse,  watch,  purse,  and  any  sum  they  might  name,  if  they  would 
release  him.  The  incorruptible  patriots  declared  that  they  would  not  let  him  go  for 
ten  thousand  guineas.  Congress  voted  to  each  of  them  a  silver  medal  and  a  pension 
for  life. 

t  Jameson,  the  officer  to  whom  they  conveyed  Andr6,  with  inconceivable  stupidity, 
wrote  a  note  to  .^mold  detailing  the  capture,  and  that  the  dangerous  papers  (in  which 
he  recognized  Arnold's  handwriting)  had  been  sent  to  General  Washington. 

t  The  meanness  of  Arnold's  nature  was  clearly  illustrated  in  the  betrayal  of  his 
boatmen,  whom  he  gave  up  as  prisoners.  When  they  arrived  at  New  York,  Clinton, 
more  honorable,  set  them  free. 

§  Arnold  was  thoroughly  despised  by  the  British  officers,  and  often  insulted.    Many 


1781.]  EPOCH    III.  137 


1781. 

The  War  at  the  South.  —  General  Greene,  who  was 
appointed  to  succeed  General  Gates,  found  the  army  to  consist 
of  only  two  thousand  half-clothed,  half-starved  men.  A  part 
of  his  force,  under  Morgan,  was  attacked  (January  17)  at 
Coivpens*  by  Tarleton.  The  militia  fleeing,  the  continentals 
fell  back  to  secure  a  better  position.  The  British,  mistaking 
this  for  a  retreat,  were  rushing  on  in  confusion,  when  the  con- 
tinentals suddenly  faced  about,  poured  in  a  deadly  fire  at  only 
thirty  yards  distance,  and  drove  them  in  utter  rout.  Tarleton 
fled  to  Cornwallis,  who  set  out  in  hot  haste,  eager  to  punish 
the  victors  and  recapture  the  prisoners.  Morgan  started  for 
Virginia,  and  crossed  the  Catawba  just  before  Cornwallis  came 
in  sight.  Night  came  on,  and  with  it  rain,  which  raised  the 
river  so  high  as  to  keep  the  impatient  Cornwallis  waiting  for 
three  days. 

Greene's  Retreat. — General  Greene  now  joined  Morgan, 
and  conducted  the  retreat.  At  the  Yadkin,  just  as  the  Amer- 
icans had  reached  the  other  side,  it  began  to  rain.  "When 
Cornwallis  came  up,  the  river  was  so  swollen  that  he  could 
not  cross.  He,  however,  marched  up  the  stream,  effected  a 

stories  are  told  illustrative  of  English  sentiment  toward  him.  A  memher  of  Parlia- 
ment, ahout  to  address  the  House  of  Commons,  happening,  as  he  rose,  to  sec  Arnold 
in  the  gallery,  said,  pointing  to  the  traitor,  "Mr.  Speaker,  I  will  not  speak  while  that 
man  is  in  the  House."  George  the  Third  introduced  Arnold  to  Earl  Barcarras,  one  of 
Burgoyne's  officers  atBemis's  Heights.  "  Sire,"  said  the  proud  old  earl  as  he  turned 
from  Arnold,  refusing  his  hand,  "I  know  General  Arnold,  and  abominate  traitors." 
When  Talleyrand  was  ahout  to  come  to  America,  he  sought  letters  of  introduction  from 
Arnold,  hut  received  the  reply,  "  I  was  horn  in  America ;  I  lived  there  to  the  prime  of 
my  life ;  but,  alas  !  I  can  call  no  man  in  America  my  friend." 

*  Colonel  William  A.  Washington,  in  a  personal  combat  in  this  battle,  wounded 
Tarleton.  Months  afterward,  the  British  officer  while  conversing  with  Mrs.  Jones,  a 
witty  American  lady,  sneeringly  said,  "That  Colonel  Washington  is  very  illiterate. 
I  am  told  he  cannot  write  his  name."  "  Ah,  Colonel,"  replied  she,  "you bear  evi- 
dence that  he  can  make  his  mark."  Tarleton  expressing,  at  another  time,  his  desire 
to  see  Colonel  Washington,  the  lady  replied,  "Had  you  looked  behind  you  at  Cowpens, 
you  might  have  had  that  pleasure." 


138  UNITED    STATES    HISTORY.  [1781. 

passage,  and  was  soon  in  full  pursuit  again.  Now  came  a 
race,  on  parallel  roads,  thirty  miles  per  day,  for  the  fords  of 
the  Dan.  Greene  reached  them  first,  and  Cornwallis  gave  up 
the  chase.  This  signal  deliverance  of  Greene's  exhausted 
army  awoke  every  pious  feeling  of  the  American  heart,  and 
was  a  cause  for  general  thanksgiving.* 

Campaign  Closed. — Having  rested  his  men,  Greene  again 
took  the  field,  harassing  the  enemy  by  a  fierce  partisan  war- 
fare. At  Guilford  Court-House  (March  15)  he  hazarded  a 
battle.  The  militia  fled  again  at  the  first  fire,  but  the  con- 
tinental regulars  fought  as  in  the  time  of  De  Kalb.  The 
Americans  at  last  retired,  but  the  British  had  bought  their 
victory  so  dearly  that  Cornwallis  also  retreated.  Greene  again 
pursuing,  Cornwallis  shut  himself  up  in  Wilmington.  There- 
upon Greene  turned  his  course  to  South  Carolina,  and  with 
the  aid  of  Marion,  Sumpter,  Lee,  and  Pickens,  nearly  deliv- 
ered this  State  and  Georgia  from  the  English.f  In  the  battle 
of  Eutaw  Springs  (Sept.  8)  the  forces  of  the  enemy  were  so 
crippled  that  they  retired  toward  Charleston.  Cornwallis,  re- 
fusing to  follow  Greene  into  South  Carolina,  had  before  this 
gone  north  into  Virginia,  and  though  a  fierce  partisan  warfare 

*  During  this  retreat,  General  Greene,  after  a  hard  day's  ride  in  the  rain,  alighted 
at  the  door  of  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Steele,  in  Salisbury,  N.  C.,  announcing  himself  as 
"  fatigued,  hungry,  cold,  and  penniless."  Quickly  providing  the  honored  guest  "with 
a  warm  supper  before  a  cheerful  fire,  this  patriotic  woman  brought  forth  two  small 
bags  of  specie,  her  earnings  for  years.  "  Take  these,"  she  said ;  "  you  will  want  them, 
and  I  can  do  without  them."  "Never,"  says  his  biographer,  "did  relief  come  at  a 
more  needy  moment ;  the  hero  resumed  his  dangerous  journey  that  night  with  a 
lightened  heart." 

Another  story  illustrative  of  the  patriotism  of  the  Southern  women  is  told  of  Mrs. 
Motte.  The  British  had  taken  possession  of  her  house,  fortified  and  garrisoned  it. 
On  Colonel  Lee's  advance  this  patriotic  woman  furnished  him  a  bow  and  arrows,  by 
means  of  which  fire  was  thrown  upon  the  shingled  roof.  Her  mansion  was  soon  in 
flames.  The  occupants,  to  save  their  lives,  surrendered. 

t  Congress  voted  the  highest  honors  to  General  Greene,  who,  by  his  prudence, 
wisdom,  and  valor,  had,  with  such  insignificant  forces  and  miserable  equipments, 
achieved  so  much  for  the  cause  of  liberty.  He  never  gained  a  decided  victory,  yet 
his  defeats  had  all  the  effects  of  successes,  and  his  very  retreats  strengthened  tha 
confidence  of  his  men  and  weakened  that  of  the  enemy. 


1781.]  EPOCH    III.  139 

still  distracted  the  country,  this  engagement  closed  the  long 
and  fiercely  fought  contest  at  the  South.* 

The  War  at  the  North. — The  traitor  Arnold,  burning 
with  hatred,  led  an  expedition  into  Virginia.  He  conducted 
the  war  with  great  brutality,  burning  private  as  well  as  public 
property.  La  Fayette  was  sent  to  check  him,  but  with  his 
small  force  f  could  accomplish  little.  Cornwallis,  arriving 
from  the  South,  now  took  Arnold's  place,  and  continued  this 
marauding  tour  through  the  country.  Clinton,  however,  fear- 
ing Washington,  who  seemed  to  threaten  New  York,  directed 
Cornwallis  to  keep  near  the  sea-coast  so  as  to  be  ready  to  help 
him.  Cornwallis,  accordingly,  after  having  destroyed  ten 
million  dollars  worth  of  property,  fortified  himself  at  York- 
town. 

Siege  of  Yorktown. — It  was  arranged  to  attack  Corn- 
wallis at  this  place  by  the  combined  American^  and  French 
forces.  Washington,  by  a  feint  on  New  York,  kept  Clinton 
in  the  dark  regarding  his  plans  until  he  was  far  on  his  way§ 

*  At  the  battle  of  Eutaw,  Manning,  a  noted  soldier  of  Lee's  legion,  was  in  hot 
pursuit  of  the  flying  British,  when  he  suddenly  found  himself  surrounded  by  the 
enemy  and  not  an  American  within  forty  rods.    He  did  not  hesitate,  but  seizing  an 
officer  by  the  collar,  and  wresting  his  sword  from  him  by  main  force,  he  kept  his 
body  as  a  shield  while  he  rapidly  backed  off  under  a  heavy  fire  from  the  perilous 
neighborhood.    The  frightened  British  officer  when  thus  summarily  captured,  began 
immediately  to  enumerate  his  titles  :    "  I  am  Sir  Henry  Barry,  deputy  adjutant-gen- 
eral, captain  in  52d  regiment,"  &c.,  &c.     "Enough,"  interrupted  his  captor,  "you 
are  just  the  mau  I  was  looking  for." 

t  Many  of  La  Fayette's  men  having  deserted,  he  set  forth  the  baseness  of  such  con- 
duct, and  then  offered  to  all  who  desired  it,  a  permit  to  go  home.  Not  one  man 
accepted,  nor  was  there  after  this  a  single  case  of  desertion.  One  man,  not  being 
able  to  walk,  hired  a  cart  that  he  might  be  able  to  keep  up  with  his  comrades.  Shoes, 
linen,  and  many  other  necessaries  were  provided  at  La  Fayette's  expense.  The  gen- 
erosity of  this  general  and  the  devotion  of  his  soldiery  seemed  to  vie  with  each 
other. 

*  During  the  preceding  winter  Robert  Morris  sent  to  the  starving  army  several 
thousand  barrels  of  flour.     He  now  furnished  nearly  everything  required  for  this  ex- 
pedition, issuing  his  own  notes  to  the  amount  of  $1,400,000.    It  is  sad  to  know  that 
this  patriot,  so  often  the  resource  of  Washington,  lost  his  fortune  in  his  old  age,  and 
was  confined  in  prison  for  debt. 

§  Washington,  at  this  time,  visited  his  home.  He  had  not  seen  it  before  since  he 
left  it  to  attend  the  Continental  Congress  in  1775.  Six  years  and  a  half  had  nearly 
elapsed,  yet  he  remained  only  long  enough  to  fulfil  a  military  engagement. 


140  I'  XIX  ED     STATES     HISTORY.  [1781. 

South  with  the  continental  army  *  On  the  28th  of  Septem- 
ber, the  joint  forces,  twelve  thousand  strong,  took  up  their 
position  before  Yorktown.  Batteries  were  openedf  upon  the 
city.  The  vessels  in  the  harbor  were  fired  by  red-hot  shells. 
Two  redoubts  were  carried;  one  by  the  Americans,  the  other 
by  the  French.  The  most  hearty  good-will  prevailed.  The 
patriots  slept  in  the  open  air  that  their  allies  might  use  their 
tents.  Breaches  had  been  made  in  the  walls,  Cornwallis, 
seeing  no  hope  of  escape,  capitulated  (Oct.  19). 

The  Scene  of  the  Surrender  was  most  imposing.  The 
army  was  drawn  up  in  two  lines,  extending  over  a  mile — the 
Americans  on  one  side,  with  General  Washington  at  the  head, 
and  the  French  on  the  other,  with  Count  Eochambeau  (ro- 
sham-bo).  The  captive  army,  about  seven  thousand  in  num- 
ber, with  slow  step,  shouldered  arms,  and  cased  colors, 
marched  between  them.  A  prodigious  crowd,  anxious  to  see 
Cornwallis,  had  assembled,  but  the  haughty  general,  vexed  and 
mortified  at  his  defeat,  feigned  illness,  and  sent  his  sword  J  by 
General  O'Hara. 

The  Effect. — Both  parties  felt  that  this  surrender  virtu- 
ally ended  the  war.  Joy  pervaded  even*  patriot  heart  All 
the  hardships  of  the  past  were  forgotten  in  the  thought  that 

*  Clinton  sent  Arnold  on  a  pillaging  tour  into  Connecticut  in  order  to  force  Wash- 
ington to  return.  He,  however,  was  not  to  be  diverted  from  his  great  enterprise,  and 
left  New  England  to  take  care  of  herself.  New  London  was  pillaged  and  burned. 
Arnold  watched  the  fire  from  a  church  .steeple.  The  commander  and  half  the  garri- 
son of  Fort  Griswold  were  butchered.  After  the  fort  had  been  taken,  a  British  officer 
entering  asked,  "Who  commands  here?"  "I  did,"  said  Colonel  Ledyard,  as  he  ad- 
vanced surrendering  his  sword,  "but  you  do  now."  With  fiendish  malignity,  he 
seized  the  sword  and  thrust  it  into  the  bosom  of  the  brave  colonel. 

t  Governor  Nelson  commanded  the  battery  that  fired  first  upon  the  British. 
Cornwallis  and  his  staff  were  at  that  time  occupying  the  governor's  fine  stone  man- 
sion. The  patriot  pointed  one  of  his  heaviest  guns  directly  toward  his  house,  and 
ordered  the  gunner  to  fire  upon  it  with  vigor.  The  British  could  not  make  even  the 
home  of  the  noble  Nelson  a  shield  against  his  patriotic  efforts.  The  house  still  bears 
the  scars  of  the  bombardment. 

t  With  a  fine  delicacy  of  feeling,  Washington  directed  it  to  be  delivered  to  Gensral 
Lincoln,  who,  eighteen  months  before,  had  surrendered  at  Charleston. 


1781.] 


EPOCH    III. 


141 


America  was  free.  The  news  reached  Philadelphia  at  two 
o'clock  A.  M.  The  people  were  awakened  by  the  watchman's 
cry,  "Past  two  o'clock  and  Cornwallis  is  taken."  Lights 
flashed  through  the  houses,  and  soon  the  streets  were 
thronged  with  crowds  eager  to  learn  the  glad  news.  Some 
were  speechless  with  delight.  Many  wept,  and  the  old 
door-keeper  of  Congress  died  of  joy.  Congress  met  at  an 
early  hour,  and  that  afternoon  marched  in  solemn  procession 
to  the  Lutheran  church  to  return  thanks  to  Almighty  God. 

All  hope  of  subduing  America  was  now  abandoned  by  the 
people  of  England,  and  they  loudly  demanded  the  removal  of 
the  ministers  who  still  counselled  war.*  The  House  of  Com- 
mons voted  that  whoever  advised  the  king  to  continue  hostili- 
ties should  be  considered  a  public  enemy. 

*  The  British  Cabinet  received  intelligence  of  the  defeat  on  Sunday  noon,  Novera- 


H3  UNITED    STATES    HISTORY.  [178L 

Difficulties  of  the  Country  and  Army.  —  The  situa- 
tion of  the  United  States  at  this  time  was  perilous.  Com- 
merce had  been  destroyed  hy  the  war.  The  currency  waa 
worthless.  Trade,  manufactures,  and  agriculture,  had  been 
neglected.  War  had  been  the  main  business  of  the  country 
for  eight  years.  Many  persons  had  lost  their  entire  fortunes. 
Villages  had  been  burned,  ships  lost,  and  crops  destroyed. 
The  British  still  held  New  York.  George  IIL  seemed  obsti- 
nate. War  might  be  resumed  at  any  time.  Yet  the  army 
was  in  almost  open  rebellion.  The  soldiers  were  afraid  they 
should  be  disbanded  and  sent  home  without  pay.  They 
petitioned  Congress,  but  received  no  satisfaction.  The  treas- 
ury was  empty.  At  this  crisis  Washington  was  invited  to 
become  king.  The  noble  patriot  was  shocked  at  the  pro- 
posal, and  indignantly  spurned  it.  A  paper  having  been  circu- 
lated advising  violent  measures,  Washington  addressedf  a 
meeting  of  the  officers,  and  besought  them  not  to  mar  their 
fair  record  of  patriotic  service  by  any  rash  proceedings.  His 
influence  prevailed,  both  with  the  army  and  with  Congress, 
and  the  difficulties  were  amicably  settled. 

Peace  Declared.  —  A  treaty  was  signed  at  Paris  (Sep- 
tember 3,  1783)  acknowledging  the  independence  of  the 
United  States.  Soon  after,  the  army  was  disbanded.  Wash- 
ington bade  his  officers  an  affecting  farewell,  and  retired  to 
Mount  Vernon,  followed  by  the  thanksgiving  of  a  grateful 
people. 

Weakness  of  the  Government  —  During  the  war  the 
thirteen  States  had  agreed  upon  Articles  of  Confederation, 


her  25.  Lord  North,  the  prime  minister,  was  greatly  excited.  He  received  the 
news  as  he  would  have  taken  a  cannon  ball  in  his  breast.  With  looks  and  actions 
indicaticg  the  deepest  distress,  he  again  and  again  exclaimed,  "O  God!  it  is  all 
over." 

t  As  he  rose  he  took  off  his  spectacles  to  wipe  them,  eaying,  "  My  eyes  have  grown 
dim  in  the  service  of  my  country,  but  I  have  never  doubted  her  justice." 


1783.]  EPOCH    III.  143 

but  they  conferred  little  power  on  Congress.  It  could  recom- 
mend, but  not  enforce ;  it  could  only  advise  action,  leaving  the 
States  to  do  as  they  might  please.  Bitter  jealousy  existed 
between  the  several  States,  both  with  regard  to  each  other  and 
to  a  general  government.  The  popular  desire  was  to  let  each 
State  remain  independent,  and  have  no  national  authority.  A 
heavy  debt  had  been  incurred  by  the  war.  Congress  had  no 
money  and  could  not  levy  taxes.  It  advised  the  States  to  pay, 
but  they  were  too  jealous  of  Congress  to  heed  its  requests. 
"  We  are,"  said  "Washington,  "  one  nation  to-day,  and  thirteen 
to-morrow."  In  Xew  England,  large  bodies  of  men  assembled, 
refusing  to  pay  their  taxes  and  openly  threatening  to  over- 
turn the  government.  This  insurrection,  known  as  Shays's 
Rebellion,  from  the  name  of  its  leader,  was  put  down  by  the 
militia  under  General  Lincoln. 

Constitution  Adopted. — Under  these  circumstances 
many  of  the  best  men  of  the  land  felt  the  need  of  a  stronger 
national  government.  A  convention  was  called  in  Philadel- 
phia to  revise  the  Articles  of  Confederation.  Washington  was 
chosen  president.  After  much  deliberation*  they  adopted  an 
entirely  new  constitution  (September  17, 1787).  During  the 
ensuing  year  the  government  was  organized  under  it,  and  in 
1789  went  into  full  operation. 

During  the  next  Epoch  we  shall  notice  the  growth  of  the 
country  under  the  wise  provisions  of  this  constitution. 

*  The  new  constitution  met  with  the  most  violent  opposition.  The  people  were 
divided  into  two  parties — the  Federalists  and  the  anti-Federalists.  The  former 
favored  the  constitution  and  sought  to  increase  the  powers  of  the  national  govern- 
ment, and  thus  strengthen  the  Union  at  home  and  abroad.  The  latter  wished  the 
authority  to  rest  with  the  States,  opposed  the  constitution,  were  jealous  of  Congress, 
and  feared  too  much  national  power  lest  a  monarchy  might  be  established.  The 
nation  was  agitated  by  the  most  earnest  and  thoughtful  as  well  as  the  most  virulent 
speeches  on  both  sides.  Within  the  year,  however,  nine  States  had  ratified  the  con- 
stitution. This  was  the  number  necessary  to  make  it  binding.  Rhode  Island  was 
not  represented  in  the  convention,  and  did  not  accept  the  constitution  until  1790. 


UNITED    STATES    HISTOHY.  [1705. 


Summary  of  the  History  of  the  Third  Epoch,  arranged 
in  Chronological  Order. 

FAGS 

1765.  The  Stamp  Act  passed,  March  8, 102 

1766.  The  Stamp  Act  repealed  by  Parliament,  March  18,  .         .     103 

1767.  A  tax  imposed  on  tea,  &c.,  June  29, 103 

1768.  British  troops  arrived  at  Boston,  September  27,       .         .104 
1770.  Boston  Massacre,  March  5, 104 

All  duties  except  on  tea  repealed,  April  12,  .        .     105 

1773.  The  tea  thrown  overboard  in  Boston  Harbor,  Dec.  16,      .     105 

1774.  "Boston  Port  Bill  "passed,  March  31,       .        .        .        .105 
First  Continental  Congress  met  at  Philadelphia,  Sept.  5,      106 

1775.  Battle  of  Lexington,  April  19, 106 

Ticonderoga  taken  by  Allen  and  Arnold,  May  10,     .         .     110 

Crown  Point  taken,  May  12,       . Ill 

Washington  elected  commander-in-chief,  June  15,   .         .Ill 

Battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  June  17, 108 

Washington  took   command  of    troops  before   Boston, 

JulyS, Ill 

Montreal  surrendered  to  Montgomery,  November  13,       .  Ill 

Battle  of  Quebec— Montgomery  killed,  December  31,      .  113 

1776.  Boston  evacuated  by  British  troops  under  Lord  Howe, 

March  17, '  .  .112 

Attack  on  Port  Moultrie,  June  28, 113 

Declaration  of  Independence,  July  4,  ....  114 

Battle  of  Long  Island,  August  27, 114 

Battle  of  White  Plains,  October  28,  ....  116 

Fort  Washington  taken,  November  16,  .  .  .  .  116 
Washington's  retreat  through  New  Jersey,  November 

and  December, 116 

Battle  of  Trenton,  December  26, 116 

1777.  Battle  of  Princeton,  January  3,          .         ,        .         .        .118 

Murder  of  Miss  McCrea,  July  27, 121 

Battle  of  Bennington,  August  16, 123 

Battle  of  Brandywine,  September  11,       ......  119 

First  battle  of  Saratoga,  September  19,     .         .        .        .  124 

Philadelphia  captured  by  the  British,  September  25,        .  120 

Battle  of  Germantown,  October  4, 120 

Second  battle  of  Saratoga,  October  7,        ....  124 

Surrender  of  Burgoyne,  October  17,          ....  125 


1778.]  EPOCH    in.  .  14o 

PAOB 

1778.  Battle  of  Monmoutli,  June  28, 127 

American  Independence  acknowledged  by  France,  Feb.  .,6,  126 

Massacre  of  Wyoming,  July  3, 128 

French  fleet  arrived  in  Narraganset  Bay,  July  29,    .         .  128 

British  captured  Savannah,  Ga.,  December  29,  .        .         .  129 

1779.  Stony  Point  captured  by  General  Wayne,  July  15,           .  139 
Sullivan  defeated  tories  and  Indians  near  Elmira,  N.  Y., 

August  29, 131 

Paul, Jones's  victory,  September  23, 132 

Savannah  besieged  by  Americans  and  French,  September 

and  October, 129 

D'Estaing  and  Lincoln  repulsed  at  Savannah,  October  9,  129 

1780.  Charleston  surrendered  to  British,  May  10,       ...  133 
Battle  of  Hanging  Rock,  S.  C.,  August  6,          ...  134 

Battle  of  Camden,  August  16, 133 

Andre  executed,  October  2, 136 

Battle  of  King's  Mountain,  October  7,  .        .        .134 

1781.  Richmond  burned  by  Arnold,  January  5,           ... 
Battle  of  the  Cowpens,  January^.  7,           ....  137 
Greene's  celebrated  retreat,  January  and  February,          .  137 
Battle  of  Guilford  Court  House,  March  15,        .        . .       .  138 
Battle  of  Eutaw  Springs,  September  8,     .        .        .        .138 
Surrender  of  Cornwallis,  October  19,         ....  140 

1783.  Savannah  evacuated  by  British,  July  11, 

Treaty  of  Peace  signed  at  Paris,  September  3,          .        .142 

New  York  evacuated  by  British,  November  25, 

Washington  resigned  his  commission,  December  23,         .142 

1787.  Shays's  Rebellion  in  Massachusetts, 143 

Constitution  of   United  States  adopted  in  Convention, 
September  17, 143 


DEVELOPMENT   OF   THE  STATES. 


From  1787— the  Adoption  of  the  Constitution, 
To      1861— the  Breaking  out  of  the  Civil  War. 


WASHINGTON'S    ADMINISTRATION. 

(FIRST  PRESIDENT-TWO  TERMS :  1789-1797.) 

ASKING-TON'S  Inaugu- 
ration (April  30,  1789).— In 
the  choice  of  the  first  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States  all 
hearts  turned  instinctively  to 
Washington.  With  deep  re- 
gret, he  left  his  quiet  home  at 
Mount  Vernon  for  the  tu- 
mults of  political  life.  His 
journey  to  New  York*  was  a 
continual  ovation.  Crowds  of 
gaily-dressed  people  bearing 
baskets  and  garlands  of  flowers,  and  hailing  his  appearance 
with  shouts  of  joy,  met  him  at  every  village.!  On  the  balcony 

*  New  York  was  only  temporarily  the  capital.  At  the  second  session  of  Congress 
the  seat  of  government  was  transferred  to  Philadelphia,  where  it  was  to  remain  for 
ten  years,  and  then  (1800)  he  removed  to  the  District  of  Columbia,  a  tract  of  land  ten 
miles  square  ceded  for  this  purpose  by  Maryland  and  Virginia.  Here  a  city  was  laid 
out  in  the  midst  of  a  wilderness,  containing  only  here  and  there  a  small  cottage. 
In  1800  it  had  eight  thousand  inhabitants.  The  "Father  of  his  country"  laid 
the  corner-stone  of  the  capitol  (1793.)  The  part  of  this  District  on  the  Virginia 
side  of  the  Potomac  was  (1846)  ceded  back  to  that  State. 

t  George  Washington  was  born  February  22, 1732 ;  died  December  14,  1799.  Left 
fatherless  at  eleven  years  of  age.  bis  education  was  directed  by  his  mother,  a  woman 
f  f  strong  character,  who  kindly,  but  firmly,  exacted  the  most  implicit  obedience.  Of 
her,  Washington  learned  hi?  first  lessons  in  self-command.  Although  bashful  and 


148  UNITED    STATES     HISTORY.  [1789. 

of  old  Federal  Hall  he  took  the  oath  to  support  the  Constitu- 
tion of  the  United  States. 

hesitating  in  his  speech,  his  language  was  clear  and  manly.  Having  compiled  a 
code  of  morals  and  good  manners  for  his  own  use,  he  rigidly  observed  all  its  quaint 
and  formal  rules.  Before  his  thirteenth  year  he  had  copied  forms  for  ill  kinds  of 
legal  and  mercantile  papers.  His  manuscript  school-books,  which  stih  exist,  are 
models  of  neatness  and  accuracy.  His  favorite  amusements  were  of  a  military  char- 
acter ;  he  made  soldiers  of  his  playmates,  and  officered  all  the  mock  parades.  Grave, 
diffident,  thoughtful,  methodical,  and  strictly  honorable,  such  was  Washington  in  his 
youth.  His  inherited  wealth  was  great,  and  the  antiquity  of  his  family  gave  him 
high  social  rank.  On  his  Potomac  farms  he  had  hundreds  of  slaves,  and  at  his 
Mount  Vernon  home,  he  was  like  the  prince  of  a  wide  domain,  free  from  dependence 
or  restraint.  He  was  fond  of  equipage  and  the  appurtenances  of  high  life.  Although 
he  always  rode  on  horseback,  his  family  had  a  "chariot  and  four,"  with  "black 
postilions  in  scarlet  and  white  livery."  This  generous  style  of  living,  added" perhaps 
to  his  native  reserve,  exposed  him  to  the  charge  of  aristocratic  feeling.  While  at 
his  home,  he  spent  much  of  his  time  in  riding  and  hunting.  He  rose  early,  ate  his 
breakfast  of  corn-cake,  honey,  and  tea,  and  then  rode  about  his  estates.  He  spent 
his  evenings  with  his  family  around  the  blazing  hearth,  retiring  between  nine  and  ten. 
He  loved  to  linger  at  the  table,  cracking  nuts  and  relating  his  adventures.  In  personal 
appearance,  Washington  was  over  six  feet  in  height,  robust,  graceful,  and  perfectly 
erect.  His  manner  was  formal  and  dignified.  He  was  more  solid  than  brilliant,  and  had 
more  judgment  than  genius.  He  had  great  dread  of  pu'-lic  life,  cared  little  for  books, 
and  had  no  library.  Washington  was  a  consistent  Christian,  and  a  regular  attendant 
of  the  Episcopal  church,  of  which  he  was  a  communicant.  He  was  a  firm  advocate  of 
free  institutions,  but  believed  in  a  strong  government  and  strictly  enforced  laws.  As 
a  President  he  carefully  weighed  his  decisions,  but,  his  policy  once  settled,  he  pur- 
sued it  with  steadiness  and  dignity,  however  great  might  be  the  opposition.  As  an 
officer  he  was  brave,  enterprising,  and  cautious.  His  campaigns  were  rarely  startling, 
but  they  were  always  judicious.  He  was  capable  of  great  endurance.  Calm  in  defeat, 
sober  in  victory,  commanding  at  all  times,  but  irresistible  when  aroused,  he  exercised 
equal  authority  over  himself  and  his  army.  His  last  illness  was  very  brief,  and  his  clos- 
ing hours  were  marked  by  his  usual  calmness  and  dignity.  "  I  die  hard,"  said  he,  "but 
I  am  not  afraid  to  go."  Europe  and  America  vied  in  tributes  to  his  memory.  Said 
Lord  Brougham,  "  TTntil  time  shall  be  no  more,  a  test  of  the  progress  which  our  race 
has  made  in  wisdom  and  virtue  will  be  derived  from  the  veneration  paid  to  the  im- 
mortal name  of  Washington."  Washington  left  no  children.  It  has  been  beauti- 
fully said,  "  Providence  left  him  childless  that  his  country  might  call  him  Father." 

Qiiestiont  on  the  Geoff  raphy  of  the  Fourth  Ejjoch  .—Locate  New  York. 
Philadelphia.  Baltimore.  Boston.  Washington.  Detroit.  York.  St.  John's. 
Montreal.  Plattsburg.  Schlosser.  Sackett's  Harbor.  Frenchtown.  Chippcwa. 
Stonington.  Hartford.  New  Orleans.  Charleston.  Sacramento.  San  Francisco. 
Harper's  Ferry.  Palmyra.  Santa  Fe\  Nauvoo.  Mount  Vernon.  Queenstown 
Heights.  Chrysler's  Field.  Horseshoe  Bend.  Lnndy's  Lane. 

Locate  Fort  Maiden.  Fort  Erie.  Foit  Meigs.  Fort  Stephenson.  Fort  Mima. 
Fort  McHenry.  Fort  King.  Fort  Brown. 

Describe  the  Maumee  River.  Hudson  River.  Tippecanoe  River.  Niasrara  River. 
St.  Lawrence  River.  Raisin  River.  Thames  River.  Columbia  River.  Rio  Grande 
River.  Nneces  River.  Locate  Sandusky  Bay.  Lake  Champlain.  Tampa  Bay. 

Locate  Palo  Alto.  Point  Isabel.  Resaca  de  la  Palma.  Matamoras.  Monterey. 
Buena  Vista.  Vera  Cruz.  Puebla.  Cerro  Gordo.  The  Cordilleras.  Contreras. 
Mexico.  Cuba.  Havana. 


1789.] 


EPOCH    IV. 


151 


Difficulties  beset  the  new  government  on  every  hand. 
The  treasury  was  empty,  and  the  United  States  had  no  credit. 
The  Indians  were  hostile.  Pirates  from  the  Barbary  States 
attacked  our  ships,  and  American  citizens  were  languishing  in 
Algerine  dungeons.  Spain  refused  us  the  navigation  of  the 
Mississippi.  England  had  not  yet  condescended  to  send  a 
minister  to  our  government,  and  had  made  no  treaty  of  com- 
merce with  us.  We  shall  see  how  wisely  Washington  and  his 
cabinet  met  these  difficulties. 


Randolph.  Hamiltu. . 

WASHINGTON'S  CABINET.* 

Domestic  Affairs. — Finances. — By  the  advice  of  Alex- 
ander Hamilton,  secretary  of  the  treasury,  Congress  agreed  to 
assume  the  debts  contracted  by  the  States  during  the  Eevolu- 

*  Three  executive  departments  were  now  established— the  Department  cf  Foreign 
Affairs  (now  the  Department  of  State),  the  Department  of  War,  and  the  Department 
of  the  Treasury.  The  heads  of  these  departments  were  called  Secretaries,  and,  with 
the  Attorney-General,  formed  the  President's  cabinet. 


IjO  UXITEU    STATES     HISTORY.  [1790. 

fcion,  and  to  pay  the  national  debt  in  full.  To  provide  funds, 
taxes  were  levied  on  imported  goods  and  the  distillation  of 
spirits.  A  mint  and  a  national  bank*  were  established  at 
Philadelphia,  By  these  measures  the  credit  of  the  United 
States  was  put  upon  a  firm  basis,  f 

Whisky  Rebellion  (1794). — Great  opposition  was  made  to 
raising  money  by  taxation.  In  western  Pennsylvania  it  was 
agreed  that  no  tax  should  be  paid  on  whisky.  The  rioters 
were  so  numerous  and  so  thoroughly  organized  that  fifteen 
thousand  of  the  militia  were  ordered  out  to  subdue  them. 
Finding  the  government  in  earnest,  the  malcontents  laid  down 
their  arms. 

Indian  Wars. — Two  armies  sent  against  the  Indians  of  the 
northwest  were  defeated.  At  last  General  Wayne — "  Mad 
Anthony" — was  put  in  command.  Little  Turtle,  the  Indian 
chief,  now  advised  peace,  declaring  that  the  Americans  had 
"  a  leader  who  never  slept."  His  counsel  was  rejected.  On 
the  Maumee  a  desperate  battle  was  fought  (Aug.  20,  1794). 
TVayne  routed  the  Indians,  chased  them  for  a  great  distance, 
laid  waste  their  towns  for  fifty  miles,  and  at  last  made  a  treaty]; 
whereby  they  gave  up  all  of  what  is  now  Ohio  and  part  of 
Indiana. 

Foreign  Affairs. — England. — Hardly  had  the  war  closed 
when  complaints  were  made  in  England  that  debts  could  not 
be  collected  in  America.  On  the  other  hand  the  Americans 
charged  that  the  British  armies  had  earned  oif  their  negroes, 


*  At  that  time  there  were  only  four  banks  in  the  country,  i.  e.,  at  Philadelphia, 
Xew  York,  Boston,  and  Baltimore;  and  the  circulation  of  "their  bills  was  merely 
local. 

t  The  credit  of  these  plans  belongs  to  Hamilton.  Daniel  Webster  has  eloquently 
said  of  him,  "He  smote  Iherock  of  the  national  resources,  and  abundant  streams  of 
revenue  burst  forth.  He  touched  the  dead  corpse  of  public  credit,  and  it  sprang  upon 
its  feet/' 

i  He  told  them,  it  is  said,  that  if  they  ever  violated  this  agreement  he  would  rise 
from  his  grave  to  fight  them.  He  was  long  remembered  by  the  western  Indians. 


1794.]  EPOCH    IT.  153 

that  posts  were  still  held  on  the  frontier,  and  that  our  seamen 
were  impressed.  Chief  Justice  Jay  was  sent  as  envoy  extra- 
ordinary to  England.  He  negotiated  a  treaty,  which  was  rati- 
fied by  the  Senate  (1795),  after  the  most  violent  opposition.* 

Spain  and  Algiers. — The  same  year  a  treaty  was  made  with 
•  Spain,  securing  to  the  United  States  the  free  navigation  of  the 
Mississippi,  and  fixing  the  boundary  of  Florida,  still  held  by 
that  nation.  Just  before  this,  a  treaty  had  been  concluded 
with  Algiers,  by  which  our  captives  were  released,  and  the 
commerce  of  the  Mediterranean  opened  to  American  vessels. 

France. — The  Americans  warmly  sympathized  with  France, 
and  when  war  broke  out  between  that  country  and  England, 
Washington  had  great  difficulty  in  preserving  neutrality.  He 
saw  that  the  true  American  policy  was  to  keep  free  from  all 
European  alliances.  Genet  (je-na),  the  French  minister, 
relying  on  the  popular  feeling,  went  so  far  as  to  fit  out  priva- 
teers in  the  United  States  ports  to  prey  on  British  commerce. 
He  also  tried  to  arouse  the  people  against  the  government. 
At  length,  at  Washington's  request,  Genet  was  recalled.  But, 
as  we  shall  see,  the  difficulty  did  not  end. 

Political  Parties. — During  the  discussion  of  these  various 
questions  two  parties  had  arisen.  Jefferson,  Madison,  and  Ean- 
dolphf  became  leaders  of  the  republican  party,  which  opposed 
the  United  States  Bank,  the  English  treaty,  and  the  assump- 
tion of  the  State  debts.  Hamilton  and  Adams  were  the  leaders 

•  This  treaty  enforced  the  payment  of  the  English  dehts,  but  did  not  in  turn  forbid 
the  impressment  of  American  seamen.  Its  advocates  were  threatened  by  angry 
mobs  with  personal  violence.  Hamilton  was  stoned  at  a  public  meeting.  Insults 
were  offered  to  the  British  minister,  and  Jay  was  burned  in  effigy.  The  more  quiet 
people  expressed- their  indignation  by  passing  resolutions  condemning  the  action  of 
the  Senate. 

t  John  Randolph  of  Roanoke  was  not  prominent  in  the  republican  party  until  a 
later  administration,  being  elected  representative  in  1799.  He  was  a  descendant  of 
Pocahontas,  of  which  fact  he  often  boasted.  He  was  noted  for  his  keen  retorts, 
reckless  wit,  and  skill  in  debate.  He  was  tall,  slender,  and  cadaverous.  His  voice, 
shrill  and  piping,  and  his  fingers,  long  and  skinny,  generally  pointed  toward  the  ob- 
ject of  his  invective,  made  him  a  conspicuous  speaker.  For  thirty  years,  says  Ben- 
ton,  he  was  the  "  political  meteor  "  of  Congress. 


154  UNITED    STATES    HISTORY.  [1700. 

of  the  federalist  party,  which  supported  the  administration.* 
Washington  having  declined  to  serve  a  third  term,  now  issued 
his  famous  farewell  address.  So  close  was  the  contest  between 
the  rival  parties  that  Adams,  the  federalist  candidate,  was 
elected  President  by  a  majority  of  only  two  electoral  votes 
over  Jefferson,  the  republican  nominee. 


ADAMS'S   ADMINISTRATION^ 

(SECOND  PRESIDENT:  1797-1801.) 

Domestic  Affairs. — Alien  and  Sedition  Laws. — Owing 
to  the  violent  denunciations  of  the -government  by  the  friends 
and  emissaries  of  Erance,  the  alien  and  sedition  laws  were 
passed.  Under  the  former,  the  President  could  expel  from  the 
country  any  foreigner  whom  he  deemed  injurious  to  the 
United'  States;  under  the  latter,  any  one  libelling  Congress, 

*  The  federalists  favored  the  granting  of  power  to  the  general  government,  which 
they  thought  should  be  made  strong.    The  republicans,  fearing  lest  the  republic 
should  become  a  monarchy  and  the  President  a  king,  opposed  this  idea  and  advo- 
cated State  rights.    In  this  election  the  republicans  were  accused  of  being  friends 
of  France,  and  the  federalists  of  being  attached  to  Great  Britain  and  its  institutions. 
The  republicans  declared  themselves  to  be  the  only  true  friends  of  the  people,  and 
stigmatized  all  others  as  aristocrats  and  monarchists. 

*  John  Adams  was  born  1735 ;  died  1826.    He  was  a  member  of  the  first  and  second 
Congress,  and  nominated  Washington  as  commander-in-chief.    Jefferson  wrote  the 
Declaration  of  Independence,  but  Adams  secured  its  adoption  in  a  three-days  debate. 
He  was  a  tireless  worker,  and  had  the  reputation  of  having  the  clearest  head  and 
firmest  heart  of  any  man  in  Congress.    In  his  position  as  President  he  lost  the  repu- 
lation  he  had  gained  as  Congressman.    His  enemies  accused  him  of  being  a  bad 
judge  of  men,  of  clinging  to  old  unpopular  notions,  and  of  having  little  control  over 
his  temper.    They  also  ridiculed  his  egotism,  which  they  declared  to  be  inordinate. 
He  lived,  however,  to  see  the  prejudice  against  his  administration  give  place  to  a 
juster  estimate  of  his  great  worth  and  exalted  integrity.    As  a  delegate  to  the  Con- 
stitutional Convention  he  was  honored  as  one  of  the  fathers  of  the  republic.    Adams 
and  Jefferson  were  firm  friends  during  the  Revolution,  but  political  strife  alienated 
them.    On  their  return  to  private  life  they  became  reconciled.    They  died  on  the 
same  day — the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  American  independence.    Adams's  last  words 
were,  "Thomas  Jefferson  still  survives."     Jefferson  was,  however,  already  lying 
dead  in  his  Virginia  home.    Thus,  by  the  passing  away  of  these  two  remarkable 
men,  was  made  memorable  the  4th  of  July,  1826. 


1798.]  EPOCH    IT.  155 

the  President,  or  the  government,  could  be  fined  or  impris- 
oned. This  was  a  most  unpopular  measure,  and  excited  the 
bitterest  feeling. 

Foreign  Affairs. — France. — French  affairs  early  assumed 
a  serious  aspect.  Our  flag  was  insulted,  our  vessels  were  cap- 
tured, and  our  envoys  were  refused  audience  by  the  French 
Directory  unless  a  bribe  should  be  paid.*  The  news  of  this 
insult  aroused  the  nation.  The  friends  of  France  were 
silenced.  An  army  was  ordered  to  be  raised,  and  Washington 
was  appointed  commander-in-chief.  Hostilities  had  com- 
menced on  the  sea,  but  when  Napoleon  became  the  First 
Consul  of  France  the  war  was  happily  arrested. 

Political  Parties. — An  intense  party  feeling  prevailed 
during  the  entire  administration.  The  unpopularity  of  the 
alien  and  sedition  laws,  especially,  reduced  the  vote  for 
Adams,  the  federal  candidate  fcr  re-election,  and  the  republi* 
can  nominee,  Jefferson,  became  the  next  President 


JEFFERSON'S   ADMINISTRATION.! 

(THIRD  PRESIDENT— TWO  TERMS  :  1801-1809.) 

Domestic    Affairs. — Purchase  of  Louisiana  (1803). — 
The  most  important  event  of  Jefferson's  administration  was 

*  William  Pinckney — our  envoy  to  France — indignantly  replied,  "Millions  for 
defence,  but  not  one  cent  for  tribute." 

t  Thomas  Jefferson  was  born  1743 :  died  1826.  "  Of  all  the  public  men  who  have 
figured  in  the  United  States,"  says  Parton,  "he  was  incomparably  the  best  scholar 
and  the  most  variously  accomplished  man."  He  was  a  bold  horseman,  a  skilful 
hunter,  an  elegant  penman,  a  fine  violinist,  a  brilliant  talker,  a  superior  classical 
scholar,  and  a  proficient  in  the  modern  languages.  On  account  of  his  talents  he  was 
styled  "The  Sage  of  Monticello."  That  immortal  document,  the  Declaration  of  In- 
dependence, was,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  words,  entirely  his  work.  He  was  an 
ardent  supporter  of  the  doctrine  of  State  rights,  and  led  the  opposition  to  the  feder- 
alists. After  he  became  President,  however,  he  found  the  difficulty  of  administering 
the  government  upon  that  theory.  "  The  executive  authority  had  to  be  stretched 


156  UNITED      STATES      HISTORY.  [1808. 

the  purchase  of  Louisiana  from  Napoleon.*  Over  one  million 
square  miles  of  laud  and  the  full  possession  of  the  Mississippi 
were  obtained  for  $15,000,000.  f 

Aaron  Burr,  the  Vice-President,  was  Alexander  Hamilton's 
bitter  rival,  both  in  law  and  in  politics,  and  at  last  challenged 
him  to  a  duel.  Hamilton  accepted.  The  affair  took  place  at 
Weehawken  (July  11,  1804).  Hamilton  fell  at  the  first  fire, 
on  the  very  spot  where  his  eldest  son  had  been  killed  shortly 
before,  in  the  same  manner.  His  death  produced  the  most 
profound  sensation.  Burr  afterward  went  west  and  organized 
an  expedition  with  the  avowed  object  of  forming  a  settlement 
in  northern  Mexico.  Being  suspected,  however,  of  a  design 
to  break  up  the  Union  and  found  a  separate  confederacy 
beyond  the  Alleghanies,  he  was  arrested  and  tried  (1807)  on 
a  charge  of  treason.^  Although  acquitted  for  want  of  proof, 
he  yet  remained  an  outcast. 

until  it  cracked,  to  cover  the  purchase  of  Louisiana ; "  and  he  became  convinced  on 
other  occasions  that  the  federal  government,  to  use  his  own  expression,  must 
"show  its  teeth."  Like  Washington,  he  was  of  aristocratic  birth,  but  his  prin- 
ciples were  intensely  democratic.  He  hated  ceremonies  and  titles;  even  "Mr." 
was  distasteful  to  him.  These  traits  were  the  more  remarkable  in  one  of  his  supe- 
rior birth  and  education,  and  peculiarly  endeared  him  to  the  common  people.  Coming 
iuto  power  on  a  wave  of  popularity,  he  studiously  sought  to  retain  this  favor. 
There  were  no  more  brilliant  levees  or  courtly  ceremonies  as  in  the  days  of  Wash- 
ington and  Adams.  On  his  inauguration  day  he  rode  down  to  Congress  unattended, 
and,  leaping  from  his  horse,  hitched  it,  and  went  into  the  chamber  dressed  in  plain 
clothes  to  read  his  fifteen-minutes  inaugural.  Some  of  the  sentences  of  that  short 
but  memorable  address  have  passed  into  proverbs.  The  unostentatious  example 
thus  set  by  the  nation's  President  was  wise  in  its  effects.  Soon  the  public  debt 
v;as  diminished,  the  army  and  navy  reduced,  and  the  treasury  replenished.  A  man 
of  such  marked  character  necessarily  made  bitter  enemies,  but  Jefferson  commanded 
the  respect  of  even  his  opponents,  while  the  admiration  of  his  friends  was  un- 
bounded. The  last  seventeen  years  of  his  life  were  passed  at  Monticello,  near  the 
place  of  his  birth.  By  his  profuse  hospitality,  he  had,  long  before  his  death,  spent 
his  vast  estates.  He  died  poor  in  money,  but  rich  in  honor.  His  last  words  were, 
"  This  is  the  fourth  day  ol  July." 

*  It  had  just  been  ceded  Dy  Spain  to  France. 

t  "  This  accession  of  territory,"  said  Napoleon,  "strengthens  forever  the  power 
of  the  United  States,  and  I  have  just  given  to  England  a  maritime  rival  that  will 
sooner  or  later  humble  her  pride."  Out  of  this  magnificent  domain  we  have  since 
cut  five  States,  four  Territories,  and  parts  of  three  States  and  three  Territories. 

$  While  awaiting  his  trial,  Burr  was  committed  to  the  common  jail.  There,  among 


THE    FIRST  STEAMBOAT. 


1807.]  EPOCH    IV.  157 

Fulton's  Steamboat. — This  year  (1807)  was  rendered  mem- 
orable by  the  voyage 
from  New  York  to  Al- 
bany of  Eobert  Ful- 
ton's steamboat,  the 
Clermont,  For  years 
the  Hudson  boasted  the 
only  steamboat  in  the 
world. 

Foreign  Affairs. — 
War  with  Tripoli.— The  Barbary  States,  of  which  Tripoli 
is  one,  for  many  years  sent  out  cruisers  which  captured 
vessels  of  all  Christian  nations,  and  held  their  crews  as  slaves 
until  ransomed.  The  United  States,  like  the  European 
nations,  was  accustomed  to  pay  annual  tribute  to  these  pirates 
to  secure  exemption  from  their  attacks.  The  Bashaw  of 
Tripoli  at  last  became  so  haughty  that  he  declared  war  (1801) 
against  the  United  States.  Jefferson  sent  a  fleet  which  block- 
aded* the  port  and  repeatedly  bombarded  the  city  of  Tripoli. 
The  frightened  Bashaw  was  at  last  glad  to  make  peace.f 

England  and  France. — During  this  time  England  and 
France  were  engaged  in  a  desperate  struggle*.  England  tried 
to  prevent  trade  with  France,  and,  in  turn,  Napoleon  forbade 

its  wretched  inmates,  stripped  of  all  his  honors,  lay  the  man  who  once  lacked  but 
a  single  vote  to  make  him  President  of  the  United  States. 

*  During  this  blockade  a  valiant  exploit  was  performed  hy  Lieutenant  Decatur. 
The  frigate  Philadelphia  had  unfortunately  grounded  and  fallen  into  the  enemy's 
hands.  Concealing  his  men  helow,  he  entered  the  harhor  with  a  small  vessel,  which 
he  warped  alongside  the  Philadelphia,  in  the  character  of  a  ship  in  distress.  As  the 
two  vessels  struck,  the  pirates  first  suspected  his  design.  Instantly  he  leaped 
aboard  with  his  men,  swept,  the  affrighted  crew  into  the  sea,  set  the  ship  on  fire,  and 
amid  a  tremendous  cannonade  from  the  batteries,  escaped  without  the  loss  of  a 
man. 

t  In  addition  to  the  alarm  created  by  the  bombardment,  the  Bashaw  was  threatened 
on  land.  He  had  usurped  the  throne  and  driven  his  brother  Hamet  into  exile.  Wil- 
liam Eaton,  the  American  consul  at  Tunis,  concerted  a  plan  for  Hamet's  restoration. 
Recruiting  a  motley  army,  of  whom  only  nine  were  Americans,  he  marched  across 
the  desert,  and  suddenly  appearing  before  Derne,  captured  it  by  assault. 


158  UNITED    STATES    HISTORY.  [1807. 

all  commerce  with  England.  As  the  United  States  were 
neutral,  they  did  most  of  the  carrying  trade  of  Europe.  Our 
vessels  thus  became  the  prey  of  both  the  hostile  nations.  Be- 
sides, England  claimed  the  right  of  stopping  American  vessels 
on  the  high  seas,  searching  for  seamen  of  English  birth,*  and 
pressing  them  into  the  British  navy.f  The  feeling,  already 
deep,  was  intensified  when  the  British  frigate  Leopard  fired 
into  the  American  frigate  Chesapeake,  off  the  coast  of  Virginia. 
The  American  vessel,  being  wholly  unprepared  for  battle,  soon 
struck  her  colors.  Four  of  the  crew,  three  being  Americans 
by  birth,  were  taken,  on  the  pretence  that  they  were  deserters. 
Jefferson  immediately  ordered  all  British  vessels  of  war  to 
quit  the  waters  of  the  United  States.  Though  England  dis- 
avowed the  act,  no  reparation  was  made.  An  embargo  was 
then  laid  by  Congress  on  American  vessels,  forbidding  them  to 
leave  port.  This  was  so  injurious  to  our  commerce  that  it 
was  removed,  but  all  intercourse  with  England  or  France  was 
forbidden. 

Political  Parties. — While  the  country  was  in  this  fever- 
ish state,  Jefferson's  second  term  expired.  James  Madison,  the 
republican  candidate,  who  was  closely  in  sympathy  with  his 
views,  was  elected  as  his  successor  by  a  large  majority.  The 
republicans  were  generally  in  favor  of  a  war  with  England. 
The  federalists,  however,  were  a  strong  minority,  and  through- 
out this  administration  warmly  opposed  the  war  policy  of  the 
republicans. 

*  The  American  doctrine  was  that  a  foreigner  could  be  naturalized  and  thus 
become  an  American  citizen,  enjoying  all  the  privileges  of  American  citizenship. 
The  British  doctrine  was,  "Once  an  Englishman,  always  an  Englishman." 

t  At  one  time  there  were  more  than  six  thousand  names  on  the  books  of  the  State 
Department,  registered  as  having  been  thus  forced  into  the  British  navy,  and  it  was 
thought  that  there  were  probably  as  many  more  not  reported.  Through  the  indifler- 
ence  of  the  officers  many  native  Americans  were  in  this  way  cruelly  driven  into  th« 
English  service. 


1809.]  EPOCH     IV.  159 

MADISON'S  ADMINISTRATION.* 

(FOURTH  PRESIDENT-TWO  TERMS:  1809-1817.) 

Domestic  Affairs. — Battle  of  Tippecanoe  (November  7, 
1811). — British  emissaries  had  been  busy  arousing  the  Indians 
to  war.  Tecumseh,  a  famous  chief,  seized  the  opportunity  to 
form  a  confederacy  of  the  northwestern  tribes.  General  Har- 
rison having  been  sent  against  them  with  a  strong  force,  was 
treacherously  attacked  by  night  near  the  Tippecanoe.  The 
Indians,  however,  were  routed  with  great  slaughter. 

Foreign  Affairs. — England. — This  war  greatly  aroused 
the  people  of  the  west  against  England.  The  impressment 
of  our  seamen  and  the  capture  of  our  ships  continued.  The 
British  government  went  so  far  as  to  send  war  vessels  into  our 
waters  to  seize  our  ships  as  prizes.  The  American  frigate 
President  having  hailed  the  British  sloop-of-war  Little  Belt, 
received  a  cannon  shot  in  reply.  The  fire  was  returned,  and 
the  sloop  soon  disabled ;  a  civi?  answer  was  then  returned. 
The  British  government  refusing  to  relinquish  its  offensive 

*  James  Madison  was  born  in  Virginia  in  1  1 ;  died  ia36.  Entering  Congress  in 
1789,  he  became  one  of  the  strongest  advocate  f  the  Constitution,  and  did  much  to 
secure  its  adoption.  From  his  political  prin.iples  he  was  obliged,  though  reluc- 
tantly, to  oppose  Washington's  administration,  which  he  did  in  a  courteous  and 
temperate  manner.  He  led  his  party  in  Congress,  where  he  remained  till  1797.  The 
next  year  he  drafted  the  famous  "  1798-99  Kesolutions,"  enunciating  the  doctrine  of 
State  rights,  v.'hich,  with  the  accompanying  "Report"  in  their  defence,  have  been 
the  great  text-book  of  the  democratic  party.  He  was  Secretary  of  State  to  Jefferson. 
After  his  Presidential  services,  he  retired  from  public  station.  Madison's  success 
was  not  so  much  the  result  of  a  great  natural  ability  as  of  intense  application  and 
severe  accuracy.  His  mind  was  strong,  clear,  and  well  balanced,  and  his  memory 
was  wonderful.  Like  John  Quincy  Adams,  he  had  laid  up  great  store  of  learning, 
which  he  used  in  the  most  skilful  manner.  He  always  exhausted  the  subject  upon 
which  he  spoke.  "When  he  had  finished,  nothing  remained  to  be  said."  His 
private  character  was  spotless.  His  manner  was  simple,  modest,  and  uniformly 
courteous  to  his  opponents.  He  enjoyed  wit  and  humor,  and  told  a  story  admirably. 
His  sunny  temper  remained  with  him  to  the  last.  Some  friends  coming  to  visit  him 
during  his  final  illness,  he  sank  smilingly  back  on  his  couch,  saying,  "  I  always  talk 
better  when  I  lie."  It  has  been  said  of  him,  "  It  was  his  rare  good  fortune  to  have  a 
whole  nation  for  his  friends." 


100  UNITED    STATES    HISTOEY.  [1812. 

course,  all  hope  of  peace  was  abandoned.*    Finally  (June 
19th,  1812),  Avar  was  formally  declared  against  Great  Britain. 


SECOND     WAR    WITH     GREAT     BRITAIN. 
1812-14. 

Surrender  of  Detroit  (August  16). — As  in  the  previous 
wars,  it  was  determined  to  invade  Canada.  General  William 
Hull  accordingly  crossed  over  from  Detroit  and  encamped  on 
Canadian  soil.  Here  he  issued^  a  proclamation  offering  the 
benefits  of  liberty  to  the  oppressed  inhabitants.  While  he 
was  preparing  to  attack  Fort  Maiden  (maul-den),  he  learned 
that  the  British  and  Indians  were  gathering  to  attack  him. 
He,  therefore,  ignominiously  retreated  to  Detroit.  Here  he 
was  pursued  by  a  force  of  British  under  General  Brock,  and 
Indians  under  Tecumseh.  As  they  marched  to  attack  the 
fort,  and  the  Americans,  drawn  up,  expected  every  instant  the 
order  to  fire,  Hull  seemed  to  lose  all  presence  of  mind.  In  an 
agony  of  fear,  while  his  men,  it  is  said,  wept  at  the  disgrace, 
he  raised  the  white  flag.  Without  even  stipulating  for  the 
honors  of  war,  he  surrendered  not  only  Detroit,  with  its  gam- 
sons  and  stores,  but  the  whole  of  Michigan. 

Battle  of  Queenstown  Heights  (October  13).— Late 
in  summer,  another  attempt  was  made  to  invade  Canada. 
General  Van  Eensselaer  (ren'-se-ler)  finding  that  his  men 
were  eager  for  a  fight,  sent  a  small  body  across  the  Niagara 
River  to  attack  the  British  at  Queenstown  Heights.  The 
English  were  driven  from  their  position,  and  General  Brock 
killed.  General  Van  Eensselaer  now  returned  to  the  Ameri- 
can shore  to  bring  over  the  rest  of  the  army ;  but  the  militia 

*  Madison,  whose  disposition  was  very  pacific,  hesitated  so  long,  that  one  of  the 
federalists  declared  in  Congress  that  "he  conld  not  be  kicked  into  a  fight."  This 
expression  passed  into  a  proverb. 


1812.J  EPOCH    IV.  161 

had  lost  their  courage,  and  denying  the  constitutional  right  of 
their  commander  to  take  them  out  of  the  State,  refused  to 
embark.  Meantime  their  comrades  on  the  Canadian  shore, 
thus  basely  abandoned,  after  a  desperate  struggle,  were  com- 
pelled to  surrender. 

Naval  Victories. — These  signal  disgraces  by  land  were  in 
striking  contrast  to  the  successes  on  the  sea.* 

Constitution  and  Guerriere  (August  9).  —  The  fight  off 
the  coast  of  Massachusetts,  between  the  American  frigate  Con- 
stitution (popularly  called  Old  Ironsides)  and  the  Guerriere 
(gare-e-are)  is  memorable.!  The  latter  vessel  opened  fire  first. 
Captain  Isaac  Hull  J  refused  to  answer  until  he  had  brought 
his  ship  into  the  exact  position  he  desired,  when  he  poured 
broadside  after  broadside  into  his  antagonist,  sweeping  her 
deck,  shattering  her  hull,  and  cutting  her  masts  and  rigging 
to  pieces.  The  entire  action  lasted  two  hours,  when  the  Guer- 
riere surrendered.  §  She  was  so  badly  injured  that  she  could 


*  It  is  a  noticeable  fact  that  the  administration  never  favored  the  idea  of  a  navy, 
and  did  nothing  to  foster  it.  It  was  a  neglected  child  from  the  first.  Jefferson  advo- 
cated the  construction  of  small  gunboats  only  for  harbor  use.  One  hundred  and  fifty 
of  these  useless  things  were  ordered.  The  navy  was  so  small  that  in  1S14  it  had 
almost  disappeared,  and  at  one  time  not  a  national  vessel  floated  the  United  States 
flag.  But,  small  as  it  was,  during  1812-13,  it  humbled  the  pride  of  the  "  Mistress  of 
the  Seas." 

t  The  Guerriere  was  in  search  of  an  American  frigate,  having  given  a  formal  chal- 
lenge to  any  vessel  of  that  description.  At  her  mast-head  was  a  flag  with  "Not  the 
Little  Belt "  upon  it,  alluding  to  the  vessel  of  that  name  so  easily  defeated  by  the 
President  the  year  before. 

J  Nephew  of  General  Hull.    His  bravery  retrieved  the  name  from  its  disgrace. 

§  "  Captain  Hull  sent  an  ofBcer  to  take  possession  of  the  Guerriere.  When  he 
arrived  alongside,  he  demanded  of  the  commander  of  the  English  frigate  if  he  had 
struck.  Dacres  was  extremely  reluctant  to  make  this  concession  in  plain  terms, 
but,  with  a  shrewdness  which  would  have  done  honor  to  a  Yankee,  endeavored  to 
evade  the  question.  '  I  do  not  know  that  it  would  be  prudent  to  continue  the  en- 
gagement any  longer,'  said  he.  '  Do  I  understand  you  to  say  that  yon  have  struck  ?' 
inquired  the  American  lieutenant.  '  Not  precisely,'  returned  Dacres  ;  '  but  I  don't 
know  that  it  will  be  worth  while  to  fight  any  longer.'  '  If  you  cannot  decide,  I  will 
return  aboard,'  replied  the  Yankee,  'and  we  will  resume  the  engagement.'  'Why, 
I  am  pretty  much  hors  de  combat  already,'  said  Dacres ;  '  I  have  hardly  men  enough 
left  to  work  a  gun.  and  my  ship  is  in  a  sinking  condition.'  'I  wish  to  know,  sir,' 
peremptorily  demanded  the  American  officer.  '  whether  I  am  to  consider  you  ae  a 


162 


UNITED    STATES    HISTORY. 


[1812. 


not  be  brought  into  port ;  while  the  Old  Ironsides,  in  a  few 
hours,  was  ready  for  another  fight. 

Frolic  and  Wasj)  (October  13).— The  next  noted  achieve- 
ment was  the  defeat  of  the  English  brig  Frolic  by  the  sloop- 
of-war  Wasp,  off  the  coast  of  North  Carolina,  When  the 


CAPTURE    OF  THE   FROLIC. 


former  was  boarded  by  her  captors,  her  colors  were  still  flying, 
there  being  no  one  to  haul  them  down.  The  man  at  the 
|ielm  was  the  only  sailor  left  on  deck  unharmed. 

Other  victories  followed.  Privateers  scoured  every  sea,  in- 
flicting untold  injury  on  the  British  commerce.  During  the 
year  over  three  hundred  prizes  were  captured. 

prisoner  of  war  or  an  enemy.  I  have  no  time  for  further  parley.'  '  I  believe  there  Is 
now  no  alternative.  If  I  could  flght  longer,  I  womld  with  pleasure ;  but  I — must- 
surrender— myself— «  prisoner  of  war  f  " 


1812.]  EPOCH    IV,  163 

Effect  of  these  Naval  Victories. — Enthusiasm  was  aroused, 
and  confidence  -inspired.  Volunteer  corps  were  -formed. 
Madison  was  re-elected,  thus  stamping  his  war  policy  with 
popular  approval. 

1813. 

Plan  of  the  Campaign.  —  Three  armies  were  raised : 
(1)  the  Army  of  the  Centre,  under  General  Dearborn,  011  the 
Niagara  River;  (2)  the  Army  of  the  North,  under  General 
Hampton,  along  Lake  Champlain ;  and  (3)  the  Army  of  the 
West,  under  General  Harrison,  of  Tippecanoe  fame.  All  three 
were  ultimately  to  invade  Canada.  Proctor  was  the  British 
general,  and  Tecumseh  had  command  of  his  Indian  allies. 

The  Armies  of  the  Centre  and  the  North  did  little. 
General  Dearborn*  attacked  York,  General  Pike  gallantly  lead- 
ing the  assault.  Unfortunately  in  the  moment  of  success  the 
magazine  blew  up,  killing  Pike  and  making  sad  havoc  among 
his  men.  Dearborn  did  nothing,  and  soon  after  resigned. 
General  "Wilkinson,  his  successor,  was  directed  to  descend  the 
St.  Lawrence  in  boats,  and  join  General  Hampton  in  an  at- 
tack on  Montreal.  At  Chrysler's  Field  he  repulsed  the  Brit- 
ish, but  owing  to  a  disagreement  with  General  Hampton  he 
returned.  General  Hampton  went  north  as  far  as  St.  John's, 
where  he  was  defeated  by  the  British.  He  then  made  the 
best  of  his  way  back  to  Plattsburg,  where,  in  the  winter,  he 
was  joined  by  General  Winchester's  men.  Thus  ingloriously 
ended  the  campaign  of  these  two  armies. 

Army  of  the  West. — A  detachment  of  General  Harri- 
son's men  was  captured  f  at  French  town,  on  the  River  Raisin, 


*  The  British,  hearing  that  Dearborn  had  Bailed  away  from  Sackett's  Harbor  with 
the  fleet,  immediately  made  an  attack  on  that  place.  They  were  bravely  repulsed  by 
General  Brown  and  a  few  regulars. 

t  This  party  was  stationed  on  the  Maiimee,  under  General  Winchester.  Having 
learned  that  the  people  of  Frcnchtown  feared  an  attack  from  the  Indians,  he  allowed 


164  UK  IT  ED    STATES    HIS-TOEY.  [1813. 

by  Proctor,  who  then  besieged  Harrison  himself  at  Fort 
Meigs  (megz).  Repulsed  here,  Proctor  stormed  Fort  Stephen- 
son,  garrisoned  only  by  one  hundred  and  fifty  men  under 
Major  Croghan,  a  young  man  of  twenty-one.  Beaten  again, 
he  returned  to  Maiden.  As  yet,  however,  the  British  held 
Michigan  and  threatened  Ohio,  and  the  land  forces  had  been 
as  unsuccessful  this  year  as  they  were  the  preceding,  when 
a  glorious  triumph  on  Lake  Erie  gave  a  new  aspect  to  the 
campaign. 

Perry's  Victory  (September  10). — When  Captain  Perry, 
then  only  twenty-seven  years  old,  was  assigned  the  command 
of  the  flotilla  on  Lake  Erie,  the  British  were  undisputed 
masters  of  the  lake,  while  his  fleet  was  to  be,  in  part,  made  out 
of  the  trees  in  the  forest.  By  indefatigable  exertion  he  got 
nine  vessels  carrying  fifty-four  guns  ready  for  action,  when  the 
British  fleet  of  six  vessels  and  sixty-three  guns  bore  down 
upon  his  little  squadron.*  Perry's  flag-ship,  the  Lawrence,f 
engaged  two  of  the  heaviest  vessels  of  the  enemy,  and  fought 
them  till  but  eight  of  his  men  were  left.  He  helped  these  to 
fire  the  last  gun,  and  then  leaping  into  a  boat  bore  his  flag  to 


his  military  judgment  to  yield  to  his  humanity,  and  marched  to  their  relief.  He 
defeated  the  enemy,  but  was  soon  attacked  by  a  body  of  fifteen  hundred  British 
and  Indians  under  Proctor.  Winchester,  being  captured  in  the  course  of  the  battle, 
agreed  to  the  surrender  of  his  men  under  the  solemn  promise  that  their  lives  and 
property  should  be  safe.  Proctor,  however,  immediately  returned  to  Maiden  with 
the  British,  leaving  no  guard  over  the  American  wounded.  Thereupon  the  Indians, 
maddened  by  liquor  and  the  desire  of  revenge,  mercilessly  tomahawked  many,  set. 
fire  to  the  houses  where  others  lay,  and  carried  the  survivors  to  Detroit,  where  they 
were  dragged  through  the  streets  and  offered  for  sale  at  the  doors  of  the  inhabitants. 
Many  of  the  women  of  that  place  gave  for  their  ransom  every  article  of  value  which 
they  possessed.  The  troops  were  Kentuckians,  and  the  war-cry  of  their  sons  was 
henceforth  "  Eemember  the  Eaisin."— The  great  object  of  the  Indians  in  battle  was 
to  get  scalps,  Proctor  paying  a  regular  bounty  for  every  one  brought  in.  They  were 
therefore  loth  to  take  prisoners.  Proctor,  brutal  and  haughty,  was  a  fit  leader  under 
a  government  that  would  employ  savages  in  a  civilized  warfare. 

*  Perry  had  never  seen  a  naval  battle,  while  Captain  Barclay,  the  British  com- 
mander, was  one  of  Nelson's  veterans,  and  had  lost  an  arm  in  the  service. 

t  From  its  mast-head  floated  a  blue  pennant,  bearing  the  words  of  the  dying  Law- 
rence, "  Don't  give  up  the  ship."  (See  p.  166.) 


1813.]  EPOCH    IV.  165 

the  Niagara.  He  had  to  pass  within  pistol-shot  of  the  British, 
who  turned  their  guns  directly  upon  him;  and  though  he 
was  a  fair  mark  for  every  shot,  he  escaped  without  injury. 
Breaking  through  the  enemy's  line  and  firing  right  and  left, 
within  fifteen  minutes  after  he  mounted  the  deck  of  the 
Niagara  the  victory  was  won.  Perry  at  once  wrote  General 
Harrison,  "  We  have  met  the  enemy,  and  they  are  ours."  This 
laconic  despatch  produced  intense  excitement  throughout  the 
country.  Upon  the  result  of  this  battle  depended,  as  we  shall 
see,  important  issues. 

Battle  of  the  Thames. — Proctor  and  Tecumseh  were  at 
Maiden  with  their  motley  array  'of  British  and  Indians,  two 
thousand  strong,  waiting  to  lay  waste  the  frontier.  Harrison, 
at  Sandusky  Bay,  was  nearly  ready  to  invade  Canada,  and  at 
the  news  of  this  victory  pushed  across  the  lake.  Landing  at 
Maiden,  which  he  found  deserted,  Harrison  hotly  pursued  the 
flying  enemy.  He  overtook  them  on  the  Eiver  Thames 
(temz).  Drawing  up  his  troops,  he  ordered  Colonel  Johnson, 
with  his  Kentucky  horsemen,  to  charge  the  English  in  front 
Dashing  through  the  forest,  they  broke  the  enemy's  line,  and 
forming  in  their  rear  prepared  to  pour  in  a  deadly  fire.  The 
British  surrendered.  Proctor  escaped  by  the  swiftness  of  his 
horse.  Johnson  pushed  forward  to  attack  the  Indians.  In 
the  heat  of  the  action,  a  bullet,  said  to  have  been  fired  by 
Johnson  himself,  struck  Tecumseh.  With  his  death  the 
savages  lost  all  hope,  and  fled  in  confusion. 

Effect. — This  victory,  with  Perry's,  relieved  Michigan,  gave 
control  of  Lake  Erie,  and  virtually  decided  the  war.  Gen- 
eral Harrison  returned  amid  the  plaudits  of  the  nation. 

Naval  Battles. — The  American  navy  achieved  some  bril- 
liant successes  during  the  year,  but  was  not  uniformly  vic- 
torious. 

Chesapeake    and    Shannon. — Captain    Lawrence,    of    the 


166  UNIT  E'D    STATES    HIS  TORY.  [18ia 

Hornet,  having  captured  the  British  brig  Peacock,  on  hia 
return  was  placed  in  command  of  the  Chesapeake,  the  ill- 
starred  frigate  which  struck  her  flag  to  the  Leopard  ofi"  the 
coast  of  Virginia,  While  refitting  his  vessel  at  Boston,  a 
challenge  was  sent  in  for  him  to  fight  the  Shannon,  then  lying 
off  the  harbor.  Lawrence,  although  part  of  his  crew  were 
discharged,  and  the  unpaid  remainder  were  almost  mutinous, 
consulted  only  his  own  heroic  spirit,  and  at  once  put  to  sea. 
The  action  was  brief.  A  hand  grenade  bursting  in  the  Chesa- 
peake's  arm-chest,  the  enemy  took  advantage  of  the  confusion, 
and  boarded  her.  A  scene  of  carnage  ensued.  Lawrence, 
mortally  wounded,  was  carried  below.  As  he  left  the  deck  he 
exclaimed,  "Don't  give  up  the  ship."  But  the  feeble  crew 
were  soon  overpowered,  and  the  colors  hauled  down. 

War  with  the  Creeks. — Tecumseh  had  been  (1811) 
among  the  Alabama  Indians,  and  aroused  them  to  take  up 
arms  against  the  Americans.  They  accordingly  formed  a 
league  (1813),  and  fell  upon  Fort  Mims,  massacring  the 
garrison  and  the ,  defenceless  women  and  children.  Volun- 
teers flocked  in  from  ah1  sides  to  avenge  this  horrid  deed. 
Under  General  Jackson  they  drove  the  Indians  from  one  place 
to  another,  until  they  took  refuge  on  the  Horseshoe  Bend, 
where  they  fortified  themselves  for  the  last  battle*  (March  27, 
1814).  The  soldiers,  with  fixed  bayonets,  scaled  their  breast- 
work. The  Creeks  fought  with  the  energy  of  despair.  Six 
hundred  were  killed.  Those  who  escaped  were  glad  to  make 
peace  on  any  terms. 

Ravages  on  the  Atlantic  Coast. — Early  in  the  spring 


*  An  event  occurred  on  Jackson's  march  which  illustrates  his  iron  will.  For  a 
long  time  his  soldiers  suffered  extremely  from  famine.  At  last  they  mutinied.  Gen- 
eral Jackson  rode  before  the  ranks.  His  left  arm,  shattered  by  a  ball,  was  disabled, 
but  in  his  right  he  held  a  musket.  Sternly  ordering  the  men  back  to  their  place,  he 
declared  he  would  shoot  the  first  who  advanced.  No  one  stirred,  and  at  last  all 
returned  to  duty. 


1813.] 


EPOCH    IV. 


107 


the  British  commenced  devastating  the  southern  coast*  Ad- 
miral Cockburn,  especially,  disgraced  the  British  navy  by  con- 
duct worse  than  that  of  Cornwallis  in  the  Eevolution.  Along 
the  Virginia  and  Carolina  coast  he  burned  bridges,  farm- 
houses, and  villages ;  robbed  the  inhabitants  of  their  crops, 
stock,  and  slaves;  plundered  churches  of  their  communion 
services,  and  murdered  the  sick  in  their  beds. 


MILLER   AT   LUNDY's   LANE. 


1814. 

Battle  of  Lundy's  Lane  (July  25). — The  American 
army,  under  General  Brown,  crossing  the  Niagara  Eiver, 
once  more,  and  for  the  last  time,  invaded  Canada.  Fort 
Erie  having  been  taken,  General  Winfield  Scott,  leading  the 

*  New  England  was  spared  from  a  general  belief  that  the  northern  States  were 
nnfriendly  to  the  war,  and  would  yet  return  to  their  allegiance  to  Great  Britain. 


168  UNITED    STATES    HISTORY.  [1814. 

advance,  attacked  the  British  at  Ghippewa  (July  5),  and 
gained  a  brilliant  victory.  A  second  engagement  was  fought 
at  Lundy's  Lane,  opposite  Niagara  Falls.  Here,  within  sound 
of  that  mighty  cataract,  occurred  one  of  the  bloodiest  battles 
of  the  war.  General  Scott  had  only  one  thousand  men,  but 
he  maintained  the  unequal  contest  until  dark.  A  battery, 
located  on  a  height,  was  the  key  to  the  British  position. 
Calling  Colonel  Miller  to  his  side,  the  commander  asked 
him  if  he  could  take  it.  "I'll  try,  sir,"  was  the  fearless  reply. 
Heading  his  regiment,  he  steadily  marched  up  the  height 
and  secured  the  coveted  position.  Three  times  the  British 
rallied  for  its  re-capture,  but  as  many  times  were  hurled 
back.  At  midnight  they  retired  from  the  field.  This  victory, 
though  glorious  to  the  American  army,  was  barren  of  direct 
results. 

Battle  of  Lake  Champlain  (September.  11).— All  but 
fifteen  hundred  of  the  troops  at  Plattsburg  had  gone  to  rein- 
force General  Brown.  Prevost,  the  commander  of  the  British 
army  in  Canada,  learning  this  fact,  took  twelve  thousand 
veteran  soldiers,  who  had  served  under  Wellington,  and 
marched  against  that  place.  As  he  advanced  to  the  attack, 
the  British  fleet  on  Lake  Champlain  assailed  the  American 
squadron  under  Commodore  McDonough.*  The  attacking 
squadron  was  nearly  annihilated.  The  little  army  in  Platts- 
burg, by  their  vigorous  defence,  prevented  Prevost  from  cross- 
ing the  Saranac  River.  When  he  found  that  his  ships  were 
lost,  he  fled  precipitately,  leaving  his  sick  and  wounded,  and 
large  quantities  of  military  stores. 

Ravages  on  the  Atlantic  Coast. — The  British  block- 
ade extended  this  year  to  the  north.  Commerce  was  so  com- 
pletely destroyed  that  the  lamps  in  the  light-houses  were 

*  One  of  his  vessels  he  had  built  in  twenty  days,  from  trees  growing  on  the  hank 
of  the  lake. 


1814.]  EPOCH    IV.  169 

extinguished  as  being  of  use  only  to  the  English.  Several 
towns  in  Maine  were  captured.  Stonington,  Conn.,  was 
bombarded.  Cockburn  continued  his  depredations  along  the 
Chesapeake.  General  Eoss  marched  to  Washington,  burned 
the  capitol  (August  24)  and  other  public  buildings,  libraries 
and  records,  together  with  private  dwellings  and  storehouses. 
He  then  sailed  around  by  sea  to  attack  Baltimore.  The  troops 
disembarking  (September  12)  below,  were  to  move  upon  the 
city  by  land,*  while  the  fleet  should  bombard  Fort  McHenry 
from  the  river.  Meeting,  however,  with  a  severe  resistance, 
and  the  fleet  having  made  no  impression  on  the  fort,f  the 
army  retired  to  their  ships. 

The  greatest  excitement  was  produced  by  these  events. 
Every  seaport  was  fortified.  Militia  were  organized.  Citizens 
of  all  ranks  labored  with  their  own  hands  in  throwing  up 
defences.  Bitter  reproaches  were  cast  upon  the  administra- 
tion because  of  its  mode  of  conducting  the  war.  Delegates 
from  New  England  States  met  at  Hartford  (December  15)  to 
discuss  this  subject  The  meeting  was  branded  with  odium 
by  the  friends  of  the  administration.  To  be  called  a  Hart- 
ford Convention  Federalist,  was  a  term  of  reproach. 

Peace,  as  afterward  appeared,  was  made  even  before  the 
convention  adjourned.  The  treaty  was  signed  at  Ghent, 
December  24.  Before,  however,  the  news  had  reached  this 
country,  a  terrible,  and,  as  it  proved,  unnecessary  battle  had 
been  fought  in  the  south. 

Battle  of  New  Orleans  (January  8,  1815). — A  power- 
ful fleet  and  a  force  of  twelve  thousand  men,  under  General 

*  While  the  British  troops  were  marching  toward  Baltimore,  General  Ross  rode 
forward  with  a  part  of  his  staff,  to  reconnoitre.  Two  mechanics,  who  were  in  a  tree 
watching  their  advance,  fired  upon  them,  and  Ross  fell  mortally  wounded.  The  two 
patriots  were  instantly  shot. 

t  During  the  bombardment  of  Port  McHenry,  Francis  S.  Key,  an  American  de- 
tained on  board  of  an  English  vessel,  wrote  the  national  song  "The  Star  Spangled 
Banner." 

ft 


no 


UNITED     STATES    HISTORY, 


[1815, 


Pakenliam  undertook  the  capture  of  New  Orleans.  General 
Jackson,  anticipating  this  advance,  had  thrown  up  intrench- 
ments*  several  miles  below  the  city.  The  British  advanced 


BATTLE   OF   NEW    ORLEANS. 

steadily,!  in  solid  columns,  heedless  of  the  artillery  fire  which 
swept  their  ranks,  until  they  came  within  range  of  the  Ken- 
tucky and  Tennessee  riflemen,  when  they  wavered.  Their 
officers  rallied  them  again  and  again.  General  Pakenliam 

fell  in  the  arms  of  the  same  officer  who  had  caught  General 

• 

*  Jackson  at  first  made  his  intrenchments  In  part  of  cotton  bales,  but  a  red-hot 
cannon  ball  having  fired  the  cotton  and  scattered  the  burning  fragments  among  the 
barrels  of  gunpowder,  it  was  found  necessary  to  remove  the  cotton  entirely.  The 
only  defence  of  the  Amencans  in  this  battle  was  a  bank  of  earth,  five  feet  high,  and  a 
ditch  in  front. 

t  The  British  were  tried  and  disciplined  troops,  while  very  few  of  the  Americans 
had  ever  seen  fighting.  Besides,  the  British  were  nearly  double  their  number.  But 
our  men  were  accustomed  to  the  use  of  the  rifle,  and  were  the  best  marksmen  In  the 
world. 


1815.]  EPOCH    IV.  171 

Koss  as  he  fell  at  Baltimore.  Neither  discipline  nor  bravery 
could  prevail.  General  Lambert,  who  succeeded  to  the  com- 
mand, drew  off  his  men  in  the  night,  hopelessly  defeated,  after 
a  loss  of  over  two  thousand;  while  the  American  loss  was 
but  seven  killed  and  six  wounded. 

Results  of  the  War. — The  treaty  left  the  question  of  im- 
pressment unsettled,  yet  it  was  tacitly  understood,  and  waa 
never  revived.  The  national  debt  was  $127,000,000,  but 
within  twenty  years  it  was  paid  from  the  ordinary  revenue. 
The  United  States  had  gained  the  respect  of  European  na- 
tions, and  the  superiority  of  the  American  navy  was  fully 
established.*  American  militia  had  beaten  Wellington's  vet- 
erans. The  impossibility  of  any  foreign  power  gaining  per- 
manent foothold  on  our  territory  was  proved.  The  fruitless 
invasion  of  Canada  by  the  militia,  compared  with  the  brave 
defence  of  their  own  territory  by  the  same  men,  proved  that 
the  strength  of  the  United  States  consisted  in  defensive  war- 
fare. Extensive  manufactories  were  established  to  supply 
the  place  of  the  English  goods  cut  off  by  the  blockade.  This 
branch  of  industry  continued  to  thrive  after  peace,  though  for 
a  time  depressed  by  the  quantity  of  English  goods  thrown  on 
the  market.  The  immediate  evils  of  the  war  were  apparent : 
trade  ruined,  commerce  gone,  no  specie  to  be  seen,  and  a 
general  depression.  Yet  the  wonderful  resources  of  the  coun- 
try were  shown  by  the  rapidity  with  which  it  entered  upon  a 
new  career  of  prosperity. 

Political  Parties. — When  Madison's  term  of  office  ex- 
pired, the  federalist  party  had  been  broken  up  by  its  opposi- 
tion to  the  war.  James  Monroe,  the  Presidential  candidate 

*  The  Algerines  had  taken  advantage  of  the  war  with  England  to  renew  their 
depredations  on  American  commerce.  Decatur,  in  May,  1815,  was  gent  with  a  squad- 
ron to  right  matters  in  that  quarter.  Proceeding  to  Algiers,  Tunis,  and  Tripoli,  he 
obtained  the  liberation  of  American  prisoners,  and  full  indemnity  for  all  losses,  with 
pledges  for  the  future.  The  United  States  was  the  first  nation  to  effectually  resist 
the  demands  of  the  Barbary  pirates  for  tribute. 


17;>  UNITED    .STATES    HISTORY.  [1816. 

of  the  republican  party,  was  almost  unanimously  elected.     He 
was  generally  beloved,  and  all  parties  united  in  his  support. 


MONROE'S    ADMINISTRATION.* 

(FIFTH  PRESIDENT— TWO  TERMS:  1817-1823.) 

Monroe's  administration  was  one  of  general  prosperity. 
After  the  ravages  of  war,  the  attention  of  all  was  turned  to 
the  building  up  of  the  country,  and  to  the  development  of  its 
internal  resources. 

Domestic  Affairs. — The  Missouri  Compromise. — When 
the  admission  of  Missouri  as  a  State  was  proposed,  a  violent 
discussion  arose  as  to  whether  it  should  be  free  or  slave.f 

*  James  Monroe  was  born  1758 ;  died  1831.  As  a  soldier  under  General  Washing- 
ton, he  bore  a  brave  record,  and  especially  distinguished  himself  in  the  battles  of 
Biandywine,  Germantown,  and  Monmouth.  Afterward,  he  studied  law,  and  entered 
political  life.  Having  been  sent  by  Washington  as  Minister  to  France,  he  showed 
such  marked  sympathy  with  that  country  as  to  displease  the  President  and  his 
cabinet,  who  were  just  concluding  a  treaty  with  England,  and  wished  to  preserve 
a  strictly  neutral  policy.  He  was  therefore  recalled.  Under  Jefferson,  who  was 
his  warm  friend,  he  was  again  sent  to  France  in  1803,  when  he  secured  the  pur- 
chase of  Louisiana.  He  is  said  to  have  always  taken  particular  pride  in  this  trans- 
action, regarding  his  part  in  it  as  among  the  most  important  of  his  public  services. 
Soon  after  his  inauguration  as  President,  he  visited  all  the  military  posts  in  the 
north  and  ?«.st,  with  a  view  to  thorough  acquaintance  with  the  capabilities  of  the 
country  in  the  event  of  future  hostilities.  This  tour  was  a  great  success.  He  wore 
a  blue  military  coat  of  homespun,  light-colored  breeches,  and  a  cocked  hat,  being  the 
undress  uniform  of  a  Revolutionary  officer.  Thus  was  the  nation  reminded  of  his 
former  military  services.  This,  with  his  plain  and  unassuming  manners,  completely 
won  the  hearts  of  the  people,  and  brought  an  overwhelming  majority  to  the  support 
of  the  administration.  Monroe  was  a  man  more  prudent  than  brilliant,  who  acted 
with  a  single  eye  to  the  welfare  of  his  country.  Jefferson  said  of  him :  "  If  his  soul 
were  turned  inside  out,  not  a  spot  would  be  found  on  it."  Like  that  loved  friend, 
he  died  "poor  in  money,  but  rich  in  honor;"  and  like  him  also,  he  passed  away  oil 
the  anniversary  of  the  independence  of  the  country  he  had  served  so  faithfully. 

t  The  question  of  slavery  was  already  one  of  vast  importance.  At  first  slaves 
were  owned  in  the  northern  as  well  as  the  southern  States.  But  at  the  North,  slave 
labor  was  unprofitable,  and  it  had  gradually  died  out ;  while  at  the  South  it  was  a 
success,  and  hence  had  steadily  increased.  In  1793,  Eli  Whitney,  of  Connecticut,  in- 
vented the  cotton-gin,  a  machine  for  cleaning  cotton  from  the  seed,  an  operation 
before  performed  by  hand,  and  very  expensive.  (See  Appleton's  Cyclopaedia.)  This 
gave  a  new  impulse  to  cotton  raising.  Sugar  and  tobacco  also,  great  staples  of  the 
South,  were  cultivated  exclusively  by  slave  labor. 


1821.]  EPOCH    IV.  173 

Finally  it  was  admitted  as  a  slave  State  (1821),  with  the  com- 
promise advocated  by  Henry  Clay,  that  slavery  should  be  pro- 
hibited in  all  other  territories  west  of  the  Mississippi  and  north 
of  parallel  36°  30',  the  southern  boundary  of  Missouri. 

La  Fayette's  Visit  to  this  country  (1824)  as  "  the  nation's 
guest"  was  a  joyous  event.  He  traveled  through  each  of  the 
twenty-four  States,  and  was  everywhere  welcomed  with  de- 
light. His  visit  to  the  tomb  of  "Washington  was  full  of  affec- 
tionate remembrance.  He  was  carried  home  in  a  national 
vessel,  the  Brandywine,  named  in  honor  of  the  battle  in  which 
La  Fayette  first  drew  his  sword  in  behalf  of  the  colonies. 

Foreign  Affairs.  —  Florida. — A  treaty  was  made  with 
Spam  (1819)  by  which  Florida  was  ceded  to  the  United  States. 

Monroe  Doctrine. — In  one  of  President  Monroe's  messages 
he  advocated  a  principle  since  famous  as  the  Monroe  Doctrine. 
He  declared  that  any  attempt  by  a  European  nation  to  gain 
dominion  in  America  would  be  considered  by  the  United 
States  as  an  unfriendly  act. 

Political  Parties. — Divisions  now  became  apparent  in  the 
great  party  which  had  twice  so  triumphantly  elected  Monroe 
as  President.  The  whig  party,  as  it  came  to  be  called  in  Jack- 
son's time,  was  forming  in  opposition  to  the  republican — 
thenceforth  known  as  the  democratic  party.*  The  whigs  were 
in  favor  of  a  protective  tariff,  and  a  general  system  of  internal 
improvements ;  f  the  democrats  opposed  these.  No  one  of  the 
four  candidates  obtaining  a  majority  of  votes,  the  election 
went  to  the  House  of  Representatives,  where  John  Quincy 
Adams,  sou  of  John  Adams,  was  chosen. 

*  John  Quincy  Adams  and  Henry  Clay  were  the  champions  of  the  whigs  ;  Andrew 
Jackson  and  John  C.  Calhoun  of  the  democrats.  In  1834,  the  democrats  began  to  be 
called  Locofocos,  because,  at  a  meeting  in  Tammany  Hall,  the  lights  having  been 
extinguished,  were  relit  with  locofoco  matches,  which  several,  expecting  such  an 
event,  had  carried  in  their  pockets. 

t  A  protective  tariff  is  a  duty  imposed  on  imported  goods  for  the  purpose  of  en- 
couraging their  manufacture  at  home.  By  internal  improvements  are  meant  the 
improving  of  the  navigation  of  rivers,  the  building  of  bridges  and  railroads,  the 
dredging  of  harbor?,  etc. 


174  UNITED    STATES    HISTOEY.  [1825, 

J.    Q.    ADAMS'S    ADMINISTRATION.* 

(SIXTH  PRESIDENT:  1825-1829.) 

This  was  a  period  of  great  national  prosperity.    During  this 
term  the  first  railroad  in  the  United  States  was  completed, 


THE  FIRST  RAILROAD  TRAIN. 


and  the  Erie  Canal  opened.  The  debt  was  fast  diminishing, 
and  there  was  a  surplus  of  $5,000,000  in  the  treasury.  A  pro- 
tective tariff,  known  as  the  "  American  System,"  reached  its 
height.  It  was  popular  at  the  east,  but  distasteful  to  the 
south. f  Adams  was  a  candidate  for  re-election,  but  Andrew 
Jackson,  the  hero  of  New  Orleans,  and  the  democratic  nomi- 
nee, was  chosen.  The  principle  of  a  protective  tariff  was  thus 
rejected  by  the  people. 

*  John  Qnincy  Adams  was  born  in  Massachusetts  1767;  died  1848.  He  was  a 
man  of  learning,  of  blameless  reputation  and  unquestioned  patriotism,  yet  as  a 
President  he  was  hardly  more  successful  than  his  father.  This  was,  doubtless, 
owing  greatly  to  the  fierce  opposition  which  assailed  him.  from  the  friends  of  dis. 
appointed  candidates,  who  at  once  combined  to  weaken  his  measures  and  prevent 
his  re-election.  Their  candidate  was  Andrew  Jackson,  a  man  whose  dashing  bold- 
ness, energy,  and  decision  attracted  the  popular  masses,  and  hid  the  more  quiet 
virtues  of  Adams.  To  add  to  his  perplexities,  a  majority  of  the  House,  and  nearly 
one-half  of  the  Senate,  favored  the  new  party,  and  his  own  Yice-President,  John  C. 
Calhoun,  was  also  the  candidate  of  the  opposition,  and  of  course  committed  to  it. 
To  stem  such  a  tide  was  a  hopeless  effort.  In  two  years  Adams  was  returned  to 
Congress,  where  he  remained  until  his  death,  over  sixteen  years  afterward.  Ten 
years  of  public  service  were  thus  rendered  after  he  had  passed  his  "  three-score 
years  and  ten,"  and  so  great  was  his  ability  in  debate  at  this  extreme  age,  that  he 
was  called  "  the  old  man  eloquent."  Like  his  father,  he  was  a  wonderful  worker, 
and  his  mind  was  a  complete  store-hoiise  of  facts.  He  lived  economically,  and 
left  a  large  estate.  He  was  the  congressional  advocate  of  anti-slavery,  and  a  bitter 
opponent  of  secret  societies.  His  fame  increased  with  his  age,  and  he  died  a  trusted 
and  revered  champion  of  popular  rights.  He  was  seized  with  paralysis  while  oc- 
cupying his  seat  in  Congress,  after  which  he  lingered  two  days  in  partial  unccn- 
bciousness.  Hi&last  words  were—"  This  is  the  last  of  earth ;  I  am  content." 

t  The  southern  States,  devoted  to  agricultural  pursuits,  desired  to  have  foreign 
goods  brought  to  them  as  cheaply  as  possible ;  while  the  eastern  States,  engaged  in 
manufacture*,  wished  to  have  foreign  competition  shut  off  by  heavy  duties. 


1829.]  EPOCH    IV.  175 

JACKSON'S    ADMINISTRATION.* 

(SEVENTH  PBESIDOT— TWO  TERMS  :  1829-1837.) 

President  Jackson  commenced  his  administration  with  an 
inflexible  honesty  that  delighted  all,  but  with  a  sturdiness  of 
purpose  that  amazed  alike  friends  and  foes.  He  surrounded 
himself  at  once  by  his  political  friends,  thus  establishing  the 
now  popular  principle  of  "  rotation  in  office."  f 

Domestic  Affairs.  —  Nullification.  —  South  Carolina 
(1832)  passed  a  Nullification  ordinance  declaring  the  tariff 
laws  "  null  and  void,"  and  that  the  State  would  secede  from 
the  Union  if  force  should  be  employed  to  collect  any  revenue 


*  Andrew  Jackson  was  born  1767 ;  died  1845.  He  was  of  Scotch-Irish  descent. 
His  father  died  before  he  was  born,  and  his  mother  was  very  poor.  As  a  boy,  Andrew 
was  brave  and  impetuous,  passionately  fond  of  athletic  sports,  but  not  at  all  addicted 
to  books.  His  life  was  crowded  with  excitement  and  adventure.  At  fourteen,  being 
captured  by  the  British,  he  was  ordered  to  clean  the  commander's  boots.  Showing 
the  true  American  spirit  in  his  refusal,  he  was  sent  to  prison  with  a  wound  on  head 
and  arm.  Here  he  had  the  smallpox,  which  kept  him  ill  for  several  months.  Soon 
after  his  mother  had  effected  his  exchange,  she  died  of  ship-fever  while  caring  for 
the  imprisoned  Americans  at  Charleston.  Left  entirely  destitute,  young  Jackson 
tried  various  employments,  but  finally  settled  down  to  the  law,  and  in  1796  was 
elected  to  Congress.  His  imperious  temper  and  inflexible  will  supplied  him  with 
constant  quarrels.  Often  they  were  passionate  word-contests,  sometimes  they  be- 
came hand-to-hand  encounters,  and  on  one  occasion  a  formal  duel  was  fought,  in 
which  he  killed  his  adversary,  himself  being  severely  wounded.  The  scars  he  bore 
upon  his  person  were  of  wounds  received  in  private  battles,  some  of  which  left 
a  mark  for  life.  Jackson  first  distinguished  himself  as  a  military  officer  in  the 
war  against  the  Creek  Indians,  which  he  made  a  signal  victory.  His  dashing  suc- 
cesses in  the  war  of  1812  completed  his  reputation,  and  ultimately  won  him  the 
Presidency.  His  nomination  was  at  first  received  in  many  States  with  ridicule, 
as,  whatever  might  be  his  military  prowess,  neither  his  temper  nor  his  ability 
seemed  to  recommend  him  as  a  statesman.  However,  his  re-election  proved  his 
popular  success  as  a  President.  His  chief  intellectual  gifts  were  energy  and  in- 
tuitive judgment.  He  was  thoroughly  honest,  intensely  warm-hearted,  and  had  an 
instinctive  horror  of  debt.  His  moral  courage  was  as  great  as  his  physical,  and  his 
patriotism  was  undoubted.  He  died  at  the  "Hermitage,"  his  home  near  Nashville, 
Tennessee.— Jackson  and  Adams  were  born  the  same  year,  yet  how  different  was 
their  childhood !  One  born  to  luxury  and  travel,  a  student  from  his  earliest  years, 
and  brilliantly  educated ;  the  other  poor,  hating  books,  and  seeking  any  kind  of  work 
to  escape  from  want.  Yet  they  were  destined  twice  to  compete  for  the  highest  place 
in  the  nation.  Adams,  the  first  time  barely  successful,  was  unfortunate  in  his  ad- 
ministration :  Jackson,  triumphing  the  second,  was  brilliant  in  his  Presidential 
career. 

t  "During  the  first  year  of  his  administration,  there  were  nearly  seven  hundred 
removals  from  office,  not  including  subordinate  clerks.  During  the  forty  years  pre- 
ceding, there  had  been  but  sixty-four." 


170  UNITED     STATES     HISTORY. 

at  Charleston.*  President  Jackson  acted  with  his  accustomed 
promptness.  •  He  issued  a  proclamation  announcing  his  de- 
termination to  execute  the  laws,  and  ordered  troops,  under 
General  Scott,  to  Charleston,  In  the  mean  time  Henry  Clay's 
celebrated  "Compromise  Bill"  was  adopted  by  the  Senate. 
This  offering  a  gradual  reduction  of  the  tariff,  was  accepted 
by  both  sides,  and  quiet  restored,  f 

Bank  of  the  United 
States.  —  During  his 
1  fi«t  term,  Jackson 
vetoed  a  bill  renewing 
the  charter  of  the 
United  States  Bank 
After  his  re-election 
by  an  overwhelming 
majority,  considering 
his  policy  sustained 

by  the  people,  he  ordered  (1833)  the  public  money  to  be  re- 
moved from  its  vaults.  The  bank  thereupon  contracted  its 
loans.  Money  became  scarce.  People  were  unable  to  pay 
their  debts.  Commercial  distress  ensued.  This  measure  ex- 
cited the  most  violent  clamor.  Jackson  was,  however,  sus- 

*  John  C.  Calhoun  and  Robert  Y.  Hayne  were  the  prominent  advocates  of  this  doc- 
trine of  "  State  rights,"  which  declared  that  a  State  could  set  aside  an  act  of  Con- 
gress. During  this  struggle  occurred  the  memorable  debate  between  Webster  and 
Hayne,  in  which  the  former,  opposing  secession,  pronounced  those  words  familiar 
to  every  school-boy,  "  Liberty  and  Union,  now  and  forever,  one  and  inseparable." 
Calhonn's  public  life  extended  over  forty  years.  He  was  one  of  the  most  cele- 
brated statesmen  of  his  time.  As  a  speaker  he  was  noted  for  forcible  logic,  clear 
demonstration,  and  earnest  manner.  He  rejected  ornament,  and  rarely  used  illustra- 
tion. Webster,  his  political  antagonist,  said  of  him,  "  He  had  the  indisputable  basis 
of  all  high  character,  unspotted  integrity,  and  honor  unimpeached.  Nothing  grovel- 
ling, low,  or  meanly  selfish  came  near  his  head  or  his  heart." 

t  Alexander  H.  Stephens  says :  "  To  do  this.  Clay  had  to  break  with  his  old  politi- 
cal friends,  while  he  was  offering  up  the  darling  system  of  his  heart  on  the  altar  of  his 
country.  Xo  one  can  deny  that  he  was  a  patriot — every  inch  of  him.  When  he  was 
importuned  not  to  take  the  course  he  did,  and  assured  that  it  would  lessen  his 
chances  for  the  Presidency,  he  nobly  replied,  '  I  would  rather  be  right  than  Presi- 
dent'—a  sentiment  worthy  to  be  the  motto  of  every  young  patriot  in  our  land." 
*  This  building  is  now  occupied  as  a  Custom  House. 


1834.]  EPOCH    IV.-  177 

tained  by  the  democratic  majority  in  the  House  of  Bepre- 
sentatives. 

Speculations. — When  the  public  money,  withdrawn  from 
the  Bank  of  the  United  States,  was  deposited  in  the  local 
banks,  it  became  easy  for  any  one  to  borrow  money.  Specu- 
lation extended  to  every  branch  of  trade,  but  especially  to 
western  lands.  New  cities  were  laid  out  in  the  wilderness. 
Fabulous  prices  were  charged  for  building  lots,  which  existed 
only  on  paper.  Scarcely  a  man  could  be  found  who  had  not 
his  pet  project  for  realizing  a  fortune.  The  bitter  fruits  of 
these  hot-house  schemes  were  gathered  in  Van  Buren's  tune. 

Indian  Troubles. — I.  The  Black  Hawk  War*  broke  out  in 
the  Northwest  Territory  (1832).  The  Sacs  and  Foxes  had 
some  tune  before  sold  their  lands  to  the  United  States,  but 
when  the  settlers  came  to  take  possession,  the  Indians  refused 
to  leave.  After  some  skirmishes  they  were  driven  off,  and  their 
leader,  the  famous  Black  Hawk,  was  captured.  2.  The 
Florida  War  (1835)  with  the  Seminoles  grew  out  of  an  attempt 
to  remove  them,  in  accordance  with  a  treaty,  to  lands  west  of 
the  Mississippi.  Osceola,  the  chief  of  the  Seminoles,  was  so 
defiant,  that  General  Thompson,  the  government  agent,  put 
him  in  irons.  Dissembling  his  wrath,  Osceola  consented  to  the 
treaty.  But  no  sooner  was  he  released  than,  burning  with 
indignation,  he  plotted  a  general  massacre  of  the  whites. 
General  Thompson  was  shot  and  scalped  while  sitting  at 
dinner,  under  the  very  guns  of  Fort  King.  The  same  day 
Major  Bade,  with  over  one  hundred  men,  was  'waylaid  near 
the  "Wahoo  Swamp.  All  but  four  were  killed,  and  these  after- 
ward died  of  then-  wounds,  f  After  several  battles  the  Indians 

*  In  this  war,  Abraham  Lincoln  was  captain  of  a  company  of  minds  volunteers ; 
Jefferson  Davis  was  a  lieutenant  of  United  States  regulars. 

+  Osceola,  in  October,  1837,  visited  the  camp  of  General  Jessup,  imJer  a  flag  of 
truce.  He  was  there  seized  and  sent  to  Fort  Moultrie,  where  he  died  the  following 
year. 


178  UNITEDSTATES    HISTORY.  [1837. 

retreated  to  the  everglades  of  southern  Florida,  in  whose 
tangled  swamps  they  hoped  to  find  a  safe  retreat.  They  were, 
however,  pursued  into  their  hiding-places  by  Colonel  Taylor, 
and  beaten  in  a  hard-fought  battle  (Okechobee,  Dec.  25, 1837). 
They  were  not  fully  subdued  until  1842. 

Foreign  Affairs. — France. — The  French  government  had 
promised  to  pay  $5,000,000  for  damages  to  our  commerce 
during  Napoleon's  wars.  This  agreement  not  being  kept, 
Jackson,  with  his  usual  decision,  urged  Congress  to  make 
reprisals  on  French  ships.  The  mediation  of  England  secured 
the  payment  of  the  debt  by  France,  and  thus  averted  the 
threatened  war. 

Political  Parties. — The  democratic  candidate,  Martin 
Van  Buren,  was  chosen  President.*  The  people  thus  sup- 
ported the  policy  of  Jackson — no  United  States  Bank  and  no 
Protective  Tariff.  General  Harrison  was  the  whig  candidate. 


VAN    BUREN'S    ADMINISTRATION.! 

(EIGHTH  PRESIDENT:  1887-1841.) 

Domestic  Affairs. — Crisis  of  1837. — The  financial  storm 
which  had  been  gathering  through  the  preceding  administra- 
tion, now  burst  with  terrible  fury.  The  banks  contracted 

*  No  Vice-President  being  chosen  by  the  people,  Colonel  E.  M.  Johnson  was 
selected  by  the  Senate. 

t  Martin  Van  Buren  was  born  1782 ;  died  1862.  He  early  took  an  interest  in 
politics,  and  in  1818  started  a  new  organization  of  the  democratic  party  in  New 
York,  his  native  State,  which  had  the  power  for  over  twenty  years.  In  1831  he  was 
appointed  minister  to  England,  whither  he  went  in  September,  but  when  the  nomi- 
nation came  before  the  Senate  in  December,  it  was  rejected,  on  the  ground  that  he 
had  sided  with  England  against  the  United  States,  on  certain  matters,  and  had  carried 
party  contests  and  their  results  into  foreign  negotiations.  His  party  regarded  this  as 
extreme  political  persecution,  and  the  next  year  elected  him  to  the  Vice-Presidency. 
He  thus  became  head  of  the  Senate  which  a  few  months  before  had  condemned  him, 
and  where  1  e  now  performed  his  duties  with  "  dignity,  courtesy,  and  impartiality." 

As  a  President,  Van  Buren  was  the  subject  of  much  partisan  censure.    The  conn- 


1837.]  EPOCH    IV.  179 

their  circulation.*  Business  men  could  not  pay  their  debts 
Failures  were  every-day  occurrences.  Those,  in  New  York 
city  alone,  during  March  and  April,  exceeded  $100,000,000. 
Property  of  all  kinds  declined  in  value.  Eight  of  the  States 
in  part  or  wholly  failed.  Even  the  United  States  government 
could  not  pay  its  debts.f  Consternation  seized  upon  all 
classes.  Confidence  was  destroyed,  and  trade  stood  still. 

Foreign  Affairs.— The  "Patriot  War"  (1837-8).— The 
Canadian  rebellion,  at  this  time,  against  England,  stirred  the 
sympathies  of  the  American  people.  Meetings  were  held, 
volunteers  offered,  and  arms  contributed.  The  President 
issued  a  proclamation  refusing  the  protection  of  the  United 
States  government  to  any  who  should  aid  the  Canadians, 
and  sent  General  Scott  to  the  frontier  to  preserve  the 
peace.  J 

try  was  pissing  through  a  peculiar  crisis,  and  his  was  a  difficult  position  to  fill  with 
satisfaction  to  all.  That  he  pleased  his  own  party  is  proved  from  the  fact  of  his 
re-nomination  in  1840  against  Harrison.  In  1844  he  was  once  more  urged  by  his 
friends,  but  failed  to  get  a  two-thirds  vote  in  the  convention,  on  account  of  his  oppo- 
sition to  the  annexation  of  Texas.  In  1848  he  became  the  candidate  of  the  "  free 
democracy,"  a  new  party  advocating  anti-slavery  principles.  After  this  he  retired 
to  his  estate  in  Kinderhook,  N.  Y.,  where  he  died. 

*  The  direct  causes  of  this  were  (1)  the  specie  circular,  which  was  issued  by  Jack- 
eon  in  1836,  just  at  the  close  of  his  last  term,  directing  that  payments  for  public  lands 
should  be  made  in  gold  and  silver.  The  gold  and  silver  was  soon  gathered  into  the 
United  States  treasury.  (2)  The  surplus  public  money,  amounting  to  about  $28,000,000, 
which  was  ordered  by  Congress  to  be  withdrawn  from  the  local  banks  and  dis- 
tributed among  the  States.  The  banks  could  not  meet  the  demand.  (3)  During  the 
season  of  high  prices  and  speculation,  when  fortunes  were  easily  made,  there  had 
been  heavy  importations  of  European  goods,  which  had  to  be  paid  for  in  gold  and 
silver.  Thus  the  country  was  drained  of  its  specie.  C4)  A  terrible  fire  in  the  city  of 
New  York  on  the  night  of  Dec.  16,  1835,  which  had  burned  600  valuable  stores,  and 
property  to  the  amount  of  $18,000,000. 

t  At  the  present  time  the  public  money  is  kept  in  the  United  States  treasury  at 
Washington,  and  in  sub-treasuries.  This  was  Van  Bnren's  favorite  idea,  and  only 
adopted  by  Congress  at  the  close  of  his  term.  It  was  called  the  Sub-Treasury  Bill, 
and  was  used  as  a  great  argument  against  Van  Buren's  re-election.  It  was  repealed 
during  Tyler's  administration,  but  re-enacted  under  Polk. 

J  A  body  of  American  sympathizers  having  taken  possession  of  Navy  Island  in 
Niagara  River,  had  hired  a  steamer,  called  the  Caroline,  to  convey  their  provisions  and 
war  materials.  On  the  night  of  December  29. 1837.  a  party  of  British  troops  attempted 
to  seize  this  vessel  at  her  moorings  at  Schlosser.  A  desperate  fight  ensued.  But 
they,  at  last,  set  her  on  fire  and  let  her  drift  over  the  Falls.  This  event  caused  great 
excitement  at  the  time.  Many  thought  that  the  passengers  and  crew  of  a  peaceable, 


180  UNITED    STATES    HISTOEY.  [183S 

The  Northeast  Boundary  between  Maine  and  New  Brans- 
wick  had  never  been  settled.  The  people  of  that  region 
threatened  to  take  up  arms  to  support  their  respective  claims. 
For  some  tune  there  was  great  peril  of  a  war  with  England. 
During  Tyler's  administration  (1842)  a  treaty  (known  as  the 
Ashburton  treaty)  was  negotiated  between  the  United  States 
and  Great  Britain,  through  the  statesmanship  of  Daniel 
Webster,  which  established  the  boundary. 

Political  Parties. — The  financial  difficulties  caused  a 
change  in  political  feeling,  and  for  the  time  weakened  the 
confidence  of  the  people  in  the  wisdom  of  the  democratic 
policy.  Van  Buren  failed  of  a  re-election,  and  General  Ham- 
son,  the  hero  of  Tippecanoe,  the  whig  nominee,  was  chosen 
President. 


HARRISON     AND     TYLER'S 

ADMINISTRATION.* 
(NINTH  AND  TENTH  PRESIDENTS  :  1841-1845.) 

General  Harrison  had  scarcely  entered  upon  the  duties  of 
his  office  and  selected  his  cabinet,  when  he  died.  John  Tyler, 
the  Vice-President,  in  accordance  with  the  Constitution  of  the 


unarmed  Bteamer,  had  been  cruelly  butchered.  The  real  character  of  the  vessel,  how- 
ever, came  out,  and  justified  the  attack.  A  cannonading  was  carried  on  between  the 
band  on  Navy  Island  and  the  British  troops  on  the  Canadian  shore.  A  sufficient 
force  to  dislodge  the  "  patriots "  having  collected,  they  forthwith  decamped.  Con- 
flicts took  -place  between  the  so-called  patriots  and  the  British  troops  at  various 
points  along  the  line.  At  first,  doubtless,  many  joined  the  cause  from  a  love  of 
liberty,  but  soon  the  enterprise  degenerated  into  a  scheme  of  bold  outlaws  longing 
for  plunder  and  violence. 

*  William  Henry  Harrison  was  born  in  1773 ;  died  1841.  He  distinguished  himself 
during  the  war  of  1812,  especially  in  the  battle  of  the  Thames.  His  military  reputa- 
tion made  him  available  as  a  Presidential  candidate.  His  character  was  unimpeach- 
able, and  the  chief  slur  cast  upon  him  by  his  opponents  was  that  he  had  lived  in  a  "  log 


1841.]  EPOCH    IV.  181 

United  States,  became  President.  He  was  elected  as  a  whig, 
but  did  not  carry  out  the  favorite  measures  of  his  party. 

Domestic  Affairs. —  United  States  Bank. — The  whigs, 
immediately  upon  coming  into  power,  passed  a  bill  to  estab- 
lish a  United  States  Bank,  but  it  was  vetoed  by  Tyler,  to  the 
great  disgust  of  the  men  who  had  elected  him. 

The  Dorr  Rebellion  (1842)  in  Ehode  Island  grew  out  of 
efforts  to  secure  a  more  liberal  State  constitution.*  The  peo- 
ple were  divided  into  two  parties,  each  of  which  elected  State 
officers.  Thomas  W.  Dorr,  who  was  chosen  by  the  suffrage 
party,  made  an  attack  upon  the  State  arsenal,  f  but  was  driven 

cabin"  with  nothing  to  drink  but  "hard  cider."  His  friends  turned  this  to  good 
account.  The  campaign  was  noted  for  immense  mass-meetings,  long  processions, 
song-singing,  and  great  enthusiasm.  "  Hard  cider  "  became  a  party  watch-word,  and 
"  log  cabins  "  a  regular  feature  in  the  popular  parades.  He  was  elected  by  a  very  large 
majority,  and  great  hopes  were  entertained  of  his  administration.  Though  advanced 
In  years,  he  gave  promise  of  endurance.  But  "he  was  beset  by  office-seekers;  he 
was  anxious  to  gratify  the  numerous  friends  and  supporters  who  flocked  about  him ; 
he  gave  himself  incessantly  to  public  business ;  and  at  the  close  of  the  month  he  was 
on  a  sick  bed."  His  illness  was  of  eight  days  duration.  His  last  words  were,  "  The 
principles  of  the  government;  I  wish  them  carried  out.  I  ask  nothing  more." 

John  Tyler  was  born  1790 ;  died  1862.  He  was  in  early  life  a  great  admirer  of 
Henry  Clay,  and  is  said  to  have  wept  with  sorrow  when  the  whigs  in  convention 
rejected  his  favorite  candidate  for  the  Presidency,  and  selected  Harrison.  He  was 
nominated  Vice-President  by  a  unanimous  vote,  and  was  a  great  favorite  with  his 
party.  In  the  popular  refrain  "  Tippecanoe  and  Tyler  too,"  the  people  sung  praises 
to  him  as  heartily  as  to  Harrison  himself.  The  death  of  Harrison  and  the  succession 
of  Tyler,  was  the  first  instance  of  the  kind  in  our  history. 

Tyler's  administration  was  not  successful.  He  opposed  the  measures  of  his  party, 
and  made  free  use  of  the  veto  power.  His  former  political  friends  denounced  him  as 
a  renegade,  to  which  he  replied  that  he  had  never  professed  to  endorse  the  measures 
which  he  opposed.  The  feeling  increased  in  bitterness.  All  his  cabinet,  except 
Webster,  resigned.  He  was,  however,  nominated  by  a  convention  composed  chiefly 
of  office-holders,  for  the  next  Presidency ;  he  accepted,  but  finding  no  popular  sup- 
port, soon  withdrew  from  the  canvass.  In  1861  he  became  the  presiding  officer  of  the 
peace  convention  in  Washington.  All  efforts  at  reconciliation  proving  futile,  he 
renounced  his  allegiance  to  the  United  States  and  followed  the  Confederate  fortunes. 
He  died  in  Kichmond,  where  he  was  in  attendance  as  a  member  of  the  Confederate 
Congress. 

*  The  old  charter  granted  to  the  Rhode  Island  colony  by  Charles  II.  (page  65),  was 
still  in  force.  It  limited  the  right  of  suffrage  to  those  holding  property. 

t  Tradition  says  that  Governor  Dorr  drew  up  his  little  army  on  a  hill,  and,  point- 
ing to  the  advance  of  the  State  troops,  urged  his  men  to  fight  till  they  could  fight  no 
longer,  and,  if  compelled  to  retreat,  to  go  back  in  good  order,  and  with  their  faces  to 
the  foe— adding,  in  a  low  voice,  as  he  saw  the  troops  approaching,  "As  I  am  a  little 
lame,  I  guess  I  will  go  now." 


183 


UNITED     STATES     HISTORY. 


[1843. 


off  by  United  States  troops.    He  was  at  last  arrested,  tried  for 
treason,  and  sentenced  to  imprisonment  for  life.* 

Anti-Rent  Difficulties  (1844).— The  tenants  on  some  of 
the  old  "patroon"  estates  in  New  York  had  refused  to  pay 
the  rent.  It  was  very  light,  f  but  it  was  considered  illegal. 
The  anti-renters,  as  they  were  called,  assumed  the  disguise  of 
Indians,  tarred  and  feathered  those  tenants  who  paid  their 
rents,  and  even' killed  officers  who  served  warrants  upon  them. 
The  disturbances -were  suppressed  (1846)  only  by  a  military 
force. 


VIEW    OF    NAUVOO. 

The  Mormons. — A  religious  sect  called  Mormons  had 
settled  at  Nauvoo,  111.  (1840).     Here  they  had  built  a  city  of 

*  In  1845  he  was  pardoned.  In  the  mean  time  "the  law  and  order  party"  had 
yielded  to  the  demand  of  the  times,  and  adopted  a  new  and  liberal  constitution. 

t  It  consisted  of  only  "a  few  bushels  of  wheat,  three  or  four  fat  fowls,  and  a  day's 
work  with  horses  and  wagon,  per  year." 


1840.]  EPOCH     IV.  183 

several  thousand  inhabitants,  and  laid  the  foundations  of  a 
costly  temple.  Having  incurred  the  enmity  of  the  people 
about  them,  their  leader,  Joseph  Smith,*  was  taken  from  the 
custody  of  the  authorities,  to  whom  he  had  entrusted  himself, 
and  killed.  A  mob  bombarded  the  city  for  three  days,  and 
finally  (September,  1845)  drove  out  the  inhabitants,  who  fled 
to  Iowa. 

Foreign  Affairs. — Annexation  of  Texas. — The  Texans, 
under  General  Sam.  Houston,  having  won  then-  independ- 
ence from  Mexico,  applied  (April,  1844)  for  admission  into 
the  Union.  Their  petition  was  at  first  rejected  by  Congress,  f 
but  being  endorsed  by  the  people  in  the  fall  elections,  it  was 
accepted  before  the  close  of  Tyler's  administration. 

Northwest  Boundary. — The  northeast  boundary  question 
had  scarcely  been  settled,  than  the  northwest  boundary  came 
into  dispute.  It  was  settled  during  Folk's  administration,  by 


*  Joseph  Smith,  while  living  at  Palmyra,  N.Y.,  claimed  to  have  had  a  supernatural 
revelation,  by  which  he  was  directed  to  a  spot  where  he  found  buried  a  series  of 
golden  plates  covered  with  inscriptions,  which  he  translated  by  means  of  two  trans- 
parent stones  (Urim  and  Thummim)  found  with  them.  The  result  was  the  Book  of 
Mormon,  said  to  be  the  history  of  a  race  favored  by  God,  who  occupied  this  con- 
tinent at  a  remote  period  of  antiquity.  The  Mormons  accept  the  Holy  Bible  as  re- 
ceived by  all  Christian  people,  but  believe  the  Book  of  Mormon  to  be  an  additional 
revelation,  and  also  that  their  chief  or  prophet  receives  direct  inspiration  from 
God.  They  practice  plural  marriage,  or  polygamy,  claiming  that  the  Scriptures 
justify,  %vhile  one  of  their  revelations  directly  commands  it.  After  tire  death  of 
Smith  and  the  expulsion  at  Nauvoo,  a  company  under  the  leadership  of  Brigham 
Young  crossed  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  settled  near  Great  Salt  Lake,  in  Utah. 
They  were  followed  by  others  of  their  sect,  and,  after  great  sufferings,  succeeded  in 
subduing  the  barren  soil,  and  establishing  a  prosperous  colony.  They  founded  Salt 
Lake  City,  where  a  new  temple  of  their  faith  is  now  building.  Their  prophet, 
Brigham  Young,  is  regarded  with  great  reverence  by  his  followers,  and  his  slightest 
will  is  law. 

t  There  were  two  reasons  why  this  measure  was  warmly  discussed— (1)  Mexico 
claimed  Texas,  although  that  country  had  maintained  its  independence  for  nine 
years,  and  had  been  recognized  by  several  European  nations  as  well  as  by  the  United 
States.  Besides,  Texas  claimed  the  Rio  Grande  (reo-grand5),  while  Mexico  insisted 
upon  the  Nueces  (nwS-ses)  River  as  the  boundary  line  between  Texas  and  Mexico. 
The  spare  region  between  these  rivers  was  therefore  disputed  territory.  Thus 
the  annexation  of  Texas  would  bring  on  a  war  with  Mexico.  (2)  Texas  held 
slaves.  Thus,  while  the  South  urged  its  admission,  the  North  as  strongly  op- 
posed it. 


184  UNITED     STATES     HISTORY.  [1846. 

compromise,  fixing  the  boundary  line  at  49°  instead  of  54°  40' 
as  claimed  by  the  United  States. 

Political  Parties. — The  question  of  the  annexation  of 
Texas  went  before  the  people  for  their  decision.  The  demo- 
crats, who  favored  its  admission,  nominated  James  K.  Polk,* 
who,  after  a  close  contest,  was  elected  President  The  whigs, 
who  opposed  its  admission,  had  nominated  Henry  Clay.f 

*  The  announcement  of  Folk's  nomination  was  the  first  news  ever  sent  by  mag- 
netic telegraph.  It  was  transmitted  from  Baltimore  to  Washington,  May  29,  1844, 
over  a  line  built  with  $30,000  appropriated  by  Congress  to  test  Professor  Morse's  in- 
vention. This  was  the  grandest  event  of  this  administration,  and  has  largely  influ- 
enced the  civilization  and  prosperity  of  the  country.  Thus  the  steamboat  and  the 
magnetic  telegraph  were  the  first  fruits  of  American  liberty  and  industry. 

t  Henry  Clay  was  a  man  whom  the  nation  loved,  but  signally  failed  to  honor. 
Yet  his  fame  and  reputation  remain  far  above  any  distinction  which  mere  office  can 
give,  and  unite  with  them  an  affection  which  stands  the  test  of  time.  Respected  by 
his  opponents,  he  was  almost  idolized  by  his  friends.  In  this  he  somewhat  resem- 
bled Jefferson,  but,  unlike  him,  he  had  not  in  his  early  years  the  advantages  of  a 
liberal  education.  His  father,  a  Baptist  minister  of  very  limited  means,  died  when 
Henry  was  five  years  old,  and  at  fifteen  he  was  left  to  support  himself.  Meantime 
he  had  received  what  little  tuition  he  had,  in  a  log-cabin  school-house  from  very  in- 
different teachers.  With  a  rare  tact  for  making  friends,  ready  talent  waiting  to  be 
instructed,  and  a  strong  determination  seeking  opportunities,  he  soon  began  to 
show  the  dawnings  of  the  power  which  afterward  distinguished  him.  He  has  said : 
"  I  owe  my  success  in  life  to  one  single  fact,  namely,  that  at  an  early  age  I  com- 
menced, and  continued  for  some  years,  the  practice  of  daily  reading  and  speaking 
the  contents  of  some  historical  or  scientific  book.  These  off-hand  efforts  were 
sometimes  made  in  a  corn-field ;  at  others,  in  the  forest ;  and  not  unfrequently  in 
some  distant  barn,  with  the  horse  and  ox  for  my  only  auditors.  It  is  to  this  that  I 
am  indebted  for  the  impulses  that  have  shaped  and  moulded  my  entire  destiny." 
Rising  rapidly  by  the  force  of  his  genius,  he  soon  made  himself  felt  in  State  and 
nation.  He  was  peculiarly  winning  in  his  manners.  An  eminent  and  stern  political 
antagonist  once  refused  an  introduction  to  him  expressly  on  the  ground  of  a  deter- 
mination not  to  be  magnetized  by  personal  contact,  as  he  "had  known  other  good 
haters "  of  Clay  to  be.  United  with  this  suavity  was  a  wonderful  will  and  an  in- 
flexible honor.  His  political  adversary,  but  personal  admirer,  John  C.  Breckinridge, 
in  an  oration  pronounced  at  his  death,  uttered  these  words—"  If  I  were  to  write  his 
epitaph,  I  would  inscribe  as  the  highest  eulogy  on  the  stone  which  shall  mark  his 
resting-place :  '  Here  lies  a  man  who  was  in  the  public  service  for  fifty  years,  and 
never  attempted  to  deceive  his  countrymen.' " — Clay,  Calhoun,  and  Webster  were 
turee  statesmen  who  made  American  history  brilliant  during  the  first  half  of  the  19th 
century.  Calhoun  and  Webster  were  born  in  the  same  year  (1782).  Clay  and  Webstei 
died  in  the  same  year  (1852).  They  were  all  unsuccessful  candidates  for  the  Presi 
dency.  They  were,  however,  repeatedly  appointed  to  positions  in  the  Cabinet,  and 
Calhonn  twice  became  Vice-President. 


1845.]  E  PO  C  H    I  V .  185 


JAMES   K.  FOLK'S  ADMINISTRATION. 

(ELEVENTH  PRESIDENT  :  1845-1849.) 
WAR    WITH     MEXICO. 

1846-7. 

I.     OENERAL    TAYLOR'S    ARMY. 

Campaign  on  the  Rio  Grande.— General  Taylor  having 
been  ordered  Avith  his  troops  into  the  disputed  territory,  ad- 
vanced to  the  Rio  Grande  and  built  Fort  Brown.  Returning 
from  Point  Isabel,  whither  he  had  gone  for  supplies,  on  the 
plains  of  Palo  Alto  (pah-lo  ahl'-to)  he  met  six  thousand  Mexi- 
cans, under  General  Arista  (ah-rees-tah),  drawn  up  across  the 
road.  Though  they  outnumbered  his  little  army  three  to 
one,  he  routed  them  with  a  loss  of  but  nine  men  killed.  The 
next  afternoon  he  met  them  again  at  Resaca  de  la  Palma 
(ra-sah-kah  da  lah  pahl'-mah),  posted  in  a  deep  ravine 
through  which  the  road  ran,  flanked  by  thickets.  Their 
artillery  held  Taylor's  men  in  check  for  a  time,  when  Captain 
May,  charging  with  his  cavalry  in  the  face  of  a  murderous 
fire,  captured  the  guns,  and  with  them  their  commander, 
General  La  Vega  (lah-va'-gah),  just  in  the  act  of  firing  a  gun. 
The  infantry  now  rushed  forward  and  drove  the  enemy,  who 
fled  across  the  Rio  Grande  in  utter  rout. 


*  James  K.  Polk  was  born  1795 ;  died  1849.  He  was  one  of  the  most  conspicuous 
opposers  of  the  administration  of  J.  Q.  Adams,  and  a  warm  supporter  of  Jackson. 
In  1839,  having  served  fourteen  years  in  Congress,  he  declined  a  re-election  and  was 
chosen  governor  of  Tennessee.  His  Presidential  nomination,  in  connection  with 
that  of  George  M.  Dallas  of  Pennsylvania,  as  Vice-President,  had  the  effect  of 
uniting  the  democratic  party,  which  had  been  disturbed  by  dissensions  between  the 
friends  and  opponents  of  Martin  Van  Buren.  However,  the  Mexican  war,  which  in 
many  States  was  strongly  opposed,  the  enactment  of  a  tariff  based  on  a  revenue 
principle  instead  of  a  protective  one,  and  the  agitation  caused  by  the  "  Wilmot 
Proviso  "  (see  p.  190),  all  conspired  to  affect  his  popularity  before  the  end  of  his 
term.  He  had,  however,  previously  pledged  himself  not  to  be  a  candidate  for  re- 
election. He  died  about  three  months  after  his  retirement  from  office. 


UNITED    STATES    HISTOEY. 


[184GL 


Invasion  of  Mexico. — Capture  of  Monterey  (Sept.  24). — 
General  Taylor,  with  about  six  thousand  men,  advanced  upon 
Monterey  (mon-ta-nV).  This  city,  surrounded  by  mountains 
and  almost  impassable  ravines,  was  strongly  fortified,  its  streets 


barricaded  and  defended  by  a  garrison  of  ten  thousand  men. 
A  grand  assault  was  made  on  the  city.  To  avoid  the  deadly 
fire  poured  upon  them  from  the  windows,  roofs,  and  barri- 
cades, the  troops  entered  the  buildings  and  dug  their  way 
through  the  stone  walls  from  house  to  house,  or  passed  from 
roof  to  roof.  They  came  at  last  within  one  square  of  the 
Grand  Plaza,  when  the  city  was  surrendered.  The  garrison 
was  allowed  to  march  out  with  the  honors  of  war. 

Battle  of  Buena  Vista  (bwa-nah  vees'-tah)  (February  23, 
1847). — Santa  Anna,  the  Mexican  general,  learning  that  the 


1847.]  EPOCH    IV.  18? 

flower  of  Taylor's  command  had  been  withdrawn  to  aid 
General  Scott,  determined  to  crush  the  remainder.  The  little 
American  army  took  post  at  Buena  Vista,  a  narrow  mountain 
pass  with  hills  on  one  side  and  a  ravine  on  the  other.*  Here 
they  were  attacked  by  Santa  Anna  with  twenty  thousand  of 
the  best  troops  of  Mexico.  The  battle  lasted  from  sunrise 
till  dark.  In  the  last  desperate  encounter  our  infantry  were 
overwhelmed  by  numbers.  Bragg's  artillery  was  ordered  to 
their  rescue.  Without  any  infantiy  support  he  dashed  up  to 
within  a  few  yards  of  the  crowded  masses  of  the  enemy.  A 
single  discharge  made  them  waver.  "A  little  more  grape, 
Captain  Bragg,"  shouted  Taylor.  A  second  and  a  third  dis- 
charge folloAved,  when  the  Mexicans  broke  and  fled  in 
disorder.  During  the  night,  Santa  Anna  drew  off  his  defeated 
army. 

General  Taylor's  work  was  now  done.  His  army  was 
intended  only  to  hold  the  country  already  gained,  while 
General  Scott  penetrated  to  the  capital  from  Vera  Cruz  (va- 
rah  krooss). 

II.    GENERAL   KEARNEY'S   ARMY. 

Conquest  of  New  Mexico  and  Calif brnia.— General 
Kearney  (kar-ne)  was  directed  to  take  the  Spanish  provinces 
of  New  Mexico  and  California.  Starting  from  Fort  Leaven- 

*  Several  anecdotes  are  told  of  General  Taylor  in  connection  with  this  battle.  The 
day  before  the  principal  attack,  the  Mexicans  fired  heavily  on  our  line.  A  Mexican 
officer,  coming  with  a  message  from  Santa  Anna,  found  Taylor  sitting  on  his  white 
horse  with  one  leg  over  the  pommel  of  his  saddle.  The  officer  asked  him  "what  he 
was  waiting  for  ?"  He  answered,  "  For  Santa  Anna  to  surrender."  After  the  officer's 
return  a  battery  opened  on  Taylor's  position,  but  he  remained  coolly  surveying  the 
enemy  with  his  spy-glass.  Some  one  suggesting  that  "  Whitey  "  was  too  conspicu- 
ous a  horse  for  the  battle,  he  replied  that  "  the  old  fellow  had  missed  the  fun  at 
Monterey,  and  he  should  have  his  share  this  time."  Mr.  Crittenden  having  gone  to 
Santa  Anna's  headquarters  was  told  if  General  Taylor  would  surrender,  he  should  be 
protected.  Mr.  Crittenden  replied,  "General  Taylor  never  surrenders."  This 
became  a  favorite  motto  during  the  election  of  1848.  The  anecdote  told  in  the  text 
concerning  Capt.  Bragg  is  disputed,  but  has  become  historical. 


188  UXITED    STATES    HISTOBY.  [1846. 

worth  (June,  1846),  a  journey  of  about  a  thousand  miles 
brought  him  to  Santa  Fe.*  Unfurling  here  the  United  States 
flag  he  continued  his  march  toward  California,  On  his  way, 
however,  he  learned  from  Kit  Carson,  the  noted  hunter,  that 
he  was  too  late.  The  winter  before,  Captain  John  C.  Fremont, 
with  a  company  of  sixty  men,  had  been  engaged  in  surveying 
a  new  route  to  Oregon.  Learning  that  the  Mexican  com- 
mandant intended  to  expel  the  American  settlers,  he  went  to 
their  rescue,  although  he  was  not  aware  that  war  had  broken 
out  between  the  United  States  and  Mexico.  With  greatly 
inferior  numbers,  he  was  victor  over  the  Mexicans  in  every 
conflict  By  the  help  of  Commodores  Sloat  and  Stockton, 
and  also  General  Kearney,  who  came  in  time  to  aid  in  the  last 
battle,  the  entire  country  was  conquered. 


III.     GENERAL    SCOTT'S    ARMY. 

Capture  of  Vera  Cruz  (March  29,  1847).  —  General 
Winfield  Scott  landed  an  army,  twelve  thousand  strong,  with- 
out opposition,  and  forthwith  drew  his  siege-lines  among  the 
shifting  sand-hills  and  chaparral  thickets  about  Vera  Cruz. 
After  a  fierce  bombardment  of  four  days,  the  city  and  the 
strong  castle  of  San  Juan  de  Ulloa  (sahn  hoo-ahn'da  ool- 
yo'-ah)  were  surrendered. 

March  to  Mexico.— Battle  of  Cerro  Gordo  (April  18).— 
A  week  afterward  the  army  took  up  its  march  for  the  capital. 
At  the  mountain  pass  of  Cerro  Gordo,  the  enemy  were 
strongly  fortified.  A  road  was  cut  around  the  base  of  the 

*  Colonel  Doniphan,  with  one  thousand  men,  the  main  body  of  General  Kearney'a 
command,  marched  over  one  thousand  miles  through  a  hostile  country,  from  Santa 
Fe  to  Saltillo,  having  fought  two  battles  and  conquered  the  province  and  city  of 
Chihuahua  (che-wah-wah).  His  men's  term  of  service  having  expired,  he  marched 
them  back  to  New  Orleans  and  discharged  them.  The  men  had  been  enlisted, 
marched  three  thousand  miles,  and  disbanded,  all  in  a  year. 


1847.]  EPOCH    IV.  189 

mountain  through  the  forest,  and  cannon  dragged  up  the 
precipice  by  ropes,  to  the  rear  of  their  position.  Thence  a 
plunging  fire  was  opened  upon  them  simultaneously  with  an 
assault  in  front.  The  Mexicans  fled  in  such  haste  that  Santa 
Anna  only  escaped  on  his  wheel-mule,  leaving  behind  his 
wooden  leg. 

The  city  of  Puebla  (pweb-lah),  second  only  to  Mexico  in 
importance,  surrendered  without  resistance.  Here  Scott 
waited  three  months  for  reinforcements. 

Battles  before  Mexico. — With  eleven  thousand  men  the  march 
was  resumed  (August  7),  and  in  three  days  the  army  reached 
the  crest  of  the  Cordilleras,  where  the  magnificent  valley  of 
Mexico  lay  stretched  before  them.  In  the  midst  was  the 
city,  surrounded  by  fertile  plains  and  cloud-capped  moun- 
tains. But  the  way  thither  was  guarded  by  thirty  thousand 
men  and  strong  fortifications.  Turning  to  the  south  to  avoid 
the  strongest  points,  by  a  route  considered  impassable,  the 
army  came  before  the  entrenched  camp  of  Confreras,  within 
fourteen  miles  of  Mexico.  The  next  morning  at  daylight  this 
was  taken,  the  troops  having  moved  to  their  positions  in  dark- 
ness so  intense  that,  to  avoid  being  separated,  they  had  to 
touch  each  other  as  they  marched.  The  same  day  the  height 
of  Ghurubusco  was  stormed,  numerous  batteries  were  cap- 
tured, and  the  defences  laid  bare  to  the  causeways  leading  to 
the  very  gates  of  the  city.  An  armistice  and  fruitless  nego- 
tiations for  peace  delayed  the  advance  until  General  Scott 
found  that  the  Mexicans  were  only  improving  the  time  in 
strengthening  their  works.  Once  more  (September  8)  our 
army  moved  to  the  assault  The  attack  was  irresistible.  The 
formidable  outworks  were  taken  one  by  one.  At  last  the 
castle  of  Chapultepec  (cha-pool-te-pek),  situated  on  a  high 
rock  commanding  the  city,  was  stormed.  The  next  day 
(September  14)  the  army  entered  the  city,  and  the  stars  and 


190  UNITED     STATES     HISTORY.  [184a 

stripes  waved   in  triumph  over  the  palace  of  the  Monte- 
zumas.* 

Peace. — The  fall  of  the  capital  virtually  closed  the  war. 
A  treaty  was  concluded  February  2,  1848.  The  United 
States  gained  the  vast  territory  reaching  south  to  the  Gila 
(ghee-lah),  and  west  to  the  Pacific. 


Domestic  Affairs.  —  Tlie  Wilmot  Proviso. —  Texas,  the 
prize  of  the  war,  became  at  once  the  bone  of  contention. 
David  Wilmot  offered  in  Congress  (August,  1846)  a  bill  for- 
bidding slavery  in  any  territory  which  should  be  acquired. 
This  measure,  though  lost,  excited  violent  debate  in  and  out 
of  Congress,  and  became  the  great  feature  of  the  fall  election. 

Discovery  of  Gold  in  California. — A  workman  in  digging 
a  mill-race  in  the  Sacramento  valley  (February,  1848)  dis- 
covered shining  particles  of  gold.  A  further  search  proved 
that  the  soil  for  miles  around  was  full  of  the  precious  metal. 
The  news  flew  in  every  direction.  Emigration  began  from 
all  parts  of  America,  and  even  from  Europe  and  Asia,  In 
eighteen  months  one  hundred  thousand  had  gone  from  the 
United  States  alone  to  this  El  Dorado,  where  a  fortune  was  to 
be  picked  up  in  a  few  days.  Thousands  made  their  way 
across  the  desert,  amid  privations  which  strewed  the  route 
with  skeletons.  The  bay  of  San  Francisco  was  soon  sur- 
rounded by  an  extemporized  city  of  shanties  and  booths. 
All  ordinary  employments  were  laid  aside.  Ships  were 
deserted  by  their  crews,  who  ran  to  the  mines  sometimes, 
it  is  said,  headed  by  their  officers.  Soon  streets  were  laid  out, 
houses  erected,  and  from  this  Babel,  as  if  by  magic,  grew  up 

*  In  this  series  of  battles,  brevets  for  gallantry  were  won  by  officers  whose  names 
have  since  become  to  us  as  household  words.  Among  these  we  notice  Lee,  Beauregard, 
Hill,  Jackson,  McClellan,  Lyon,  Grant,  Hooker,  Longstreet,  Buell,  Johnston,  and 
Anderson. 


1848.]  EPOCH    IV.  191 

a  beautiful  city.  For  a  time,  lawlessness  reigned  supreme. 
But,  driven  by  the  necessity  of  events,  the  most  respectable 
citizens  took  the  law  into  their  own  hands,  organized  vigilance 
committees,  and  administered  a  rude  but  prompt  justice  which 
soon  effected  order. 

Political  Parties. — Three  parties  now  divided  the  suf- 
frages of  the  people.  The  whigs  nominated  General  Taylor 
for  President;  the  democrats,  Lewis  Cass;  and  the  free- 
soilers,  who  were  opposed  to  the  extension  of  slavery,  Martin 
Van  Buren.  The  personal  popularity  of  General  Taylor,  on 
account  of  his  many  sterling  qualities,  and  his  brilliant  victo- 
ries in  the  Mexican  war,  made  him  the  favorite  candidate, 
and  he  was  elected. 


TAYLOR     AND     FILLMORE'S 

ADMINISTRATION* 
(TWELFTH  AND  THIRTEENTH  PRESIDENTS :  1849-1853.) 

General  Taylor,  like  General  Harrison,  died  soon  after  his 
elevation  to  the  Presidency.  Millard  Fillmore,  Vice-President, 
succeeded  him. 

Domestic  Affairs. — Slavery  questions  were  the  great 
political  topic  of  this  administration.  When  California 

*  Zachary  Taylor  was  born  in  Virginia  in  1784.  Soon  after  his  birth  his  parents 
removed  to  Kentucky.  His  means  of  education  were  of  the  scantiest  kind,  and  until 
he  was  twenty-four  years  of  age  he  worked  ou  his  father's  plantation.  Madison, 
who  was  a  reiative,  and  at  that  time  Secretary  of  State,  then  secured  for  him  an 
appointment  in  the  army  as  lieutenant.  From  this  he  rose  by  regular  and  rapid 
degrees  to  a  major-generalship.  His  triumphant  battles  at  Palo  Alto,  Resaca  de  la 
Palrna,  Monterey,  and  Bnena  Vista,  won  him  great  applause.  He  was  the  popular 
hero  of  a  successful  war.  The  soldiers  admiringly  called  him  "  Old  Rough  and 
Ready."  Having  been  offered  the  nomination  for  President,  he  published  several 
letters  denning  his  position  as  "a  whig,  but  not  an  ultra-whig,"  and  declaring  that 
he  would  not  be  a  party  candidate  or  the  exponent  of  party  doctrines.  Many  of  the 
whig  leaders  violently  opposed  his  nomination.  Daniel  Webster  called  him  "  an 


192 


UNITED    STATES    HISTORY. 


[1850. 


applied  for  admission  to  the  Union  as  a  free  State,  all  these 
questions  were  brought  to  a  focus.  A  hot  debate  ensued. 
For  awhile  it  seemed  as  if  the  Union  would  be  rent  asunder. 
Henry  Clay,  the  "  Great  Pacificator,"  came  forward  at  this 


Daniel  Webster.  Henry  Clay. 

CLAY  ADDRESSING  CONGRESS. 


John  C.  Calhoon. 


terrible  crisis,  and,  with  his  wonderful  eloquence,  urged  the 
necessity  of  mutual  compromise  and  forbearance.  Daniel 
Webster*  warmly  seconded  this  effort  at  conciliation. 

ignorant  frontier  colonel."  The  feet  that  he  was  a  slaveholder  was  warmly  urged 
against  him.  He  knew  nothing  of  civil  affairs,  and  had  taken  so  little  interest  in 
politics  that  he  had  not  voted  in  forty  years.  But  he  was  nominated  and  elected. 
His  nomination  caused  a  secession  from  the  whigs,  resulting  in  the  formation  of  the 
free-soil  party.  He  felt  his  want  of  qualifications  for  the  position,  and  sometimes 
expressed  his  regret  that  he  had  accepted  it.  Yet  he  maintained  as  President  the 
popularity  which  had  led  to  his  election,  and  was  personally  one  of  the  most 
esteemed  who  have  filled  that  office.  He  died  July  9, 1850,  at  the  Presidential  man- 
sion, after  an  illness  of  five  days. 

*  When  Daniel  Webster,  the  great  American  statesman  and  jurist,  was  fourteen 
years  old,  he  first  enjoyed  the  privilege  of  a  few  months  schooling  at  an  academy. 
The  man  whose  eloquence  was  afterward  to  stir  the  nation,  was  then  so  shy  that  he 


1850.]  EPOCH    iv.  193 

The  Compromise  of  1850. — The  Omnibus  Bill,  Clay's 
measure,  was  adopted  as  the  best  solution  of  the  problem.  It 
proposed  (1)  that  California  should  come  in  as  a  free  State ; 
(2)  that  the  Territories  of  Utah  and  New  Mexico  should  be 
formed  without  any  provision  concerning  slavery ;  (3)  that 
Texas  should  be  paid  $10,000,000  to  give  up  its  claims 
on  the  Territory  of  New  Mexico ;  (4)  that  the  slave  trade 
should  be  prohibited  in  the  District  of  Columbia,  and  (5)  that 
a  Fugitive  Slave  Law  should  be  enacted  providing  for  the 
return  to  their  owners  of  slaves  escaping  to  a  free  State. 

Foreign  Affairs. — Invasion  of  Cuba. — About  six  hundred 
adventurers,  "  filibusters,"  undertook  to  effect  the  annexation 
of  Cuba  to  the  United  States.  The  attempt  ended  in  utter 
defeat,  and  the  execution,  at  Havana,  of  Lopez,  the  leader. 

Political  Parties.  —  The  democratic  and  whig  parties 
both  declared  that  they  stood  by  the  provisions  of  the  Om- 
nibus Bill.  The  free-soil  party  was  outspoken  against  it. 
Franklin  Pierce,  the  Presidential  nominee  of  the  democratic 
party,  was  elected  by  a  large  majority  of  votes  over  General 
Scott,  the  whig  candidate. 

could  not  muster  courage  to  speak  before  the  school.  He  says,  "Many  a  piece  did  I 
commit  and  rehearse  in  my  own  room,  over  and  over  again ;  yet  when  the  day  came, 
when  my  name  was  called,  and  I  saw  all  eyea  turned  toward  me,  I  could  not  raise 
myself  from  my  seat."  In  other  respects,  however,  he  gave  decided  promise  of  his 
future  eminence.  One  year  after,  his  father  resolved  to  send  him  to  college — a  dream 
he  had  never  dared  to  cherish.  "I  remember  the  very  hill  we  were  ascending 
through  deep  snow,  in  a  New  England  sleigh,  when  my  father  made  known  this  pur- 
pose to  me.  I  could  not  speak.  How  could  he,  I  thought,  with  so  large  a  family,  and 
in  such  narrow  circumstances,  think  of  incurring  so  great  an  expense  forme?  A 
warm  glow  ran  all  over  me,  and  I  laid  my  head  on  my  father's  shoulder  and  wept."— 
Having  finished  his  collegiate  education  and  entered  his  profession,  he  at  once  rose 
to  eminence.  Elected  to  Congress,  in  his  maiden  speech  he  "  took  the  House  and 
country  by  surprise."  By  rapid  strides  he  placed  himself  at  the  head  of  American 
orators.  His  speeches  are  masterpieces,  and  may  well  be  the  study  of  every  aspirant 
for  distinction.  It  was  a  disappointment  to  many  of  Webster's  friends,  as  it  is 
said  to  have  been  to  himself,  that  he  was  never  called  to  the  Presidential  chair.  But, 
like  Clay,  although  he  might  have  honored  that  position,  he  needed  it  not  to  enhance 
his  renown.  His  death,  which  occurred  in  1852,  called  out,  it  is  said,  more  orations, 
discourses,  and  sermons,  than  had  any  other  since  that  of  Washington. 

9 


194  UNITED    STATES    HISTORY. 

PIERCE'S    ADMINISTRATION.* 

(FOURTEENTH  PRESIDENT:  1853-1857.) 

Domestic  Affairs. — Kansas -Nebraska  Bill. — The  Com- 
promise Bill  of  1850  produced  only  a  lull  in  the  slavery  ex- 
citement. It  burst  out  anew  when  Stephen  A.  Douglas  brought 
forward  (1853)  his  famous  bill  organizing  the  Territories  of 
Kansas  and  Nebraska,  and  advocating  the  doctrine  of  "  squat- 
ter sovereignty ;"  i.  e.,  the  right  of  the  inhabitants  of  each  Ter- 
ritory to  decide  for  themselves  whether  the  State  should  come 
into  the  Union  free  or  slave.f  This  bill  being  a  virtual  repu- 

*  Franklin  Pierce  was  born  1804 ;  died  1869.  He  had  barely  attained  the  requisite 
legal  age  when  he  was  elected  to  the  Senate.  He  there  found  such  men  as  Clay, 
Webster,  Calhoon,  Thomas  H.  Benton,  and  Silas  Wright.  Nathaniel  Hawthorne 
says  in  his  biography  of  Mr.  Pierce:  "With  his  usual  tact  and  exquisite  sense  of 
propriety,  he  saw  that  it  was  not  the  time  for  him  to  step  forward  prominently  on 
this  highest  theatre  in  the  land.  He  beheld  these  great  colnbatants  doing  battle 
before  the  eyes  of  the  nation,  and  engrossing  its  whole  regards.  There  was  hardly 
an  avenue  to  reputation  save  what  was  occupied  by  one  or  another  of  those  gigantic 
figures."  During  Tyler's  administration,  he  resigned.  When  the  Mexican  war 
broke  out,  he  enlisted  as  a  volunteer,  but  soon  rose  to  the  office  of  brigadier-general. 
He  distinguished  himself  under  General  Scott,  against  whom  he  afterwards  success- 
fully ran  for  the  Presidency,  and  upon  whom,  during  his  administration,  he  conferred 
the  title  of  lieutenant-general.  On  the  question  of  slavery,  Mr.  Pierce  always  sided 
with  the  South,  and  opposed  anti-slavery  measures  in  every  shape.  In  a  message  to 
Congress  in  1856,  he  characterized  the  formation  of  a  free  State  government  in  Kansas 
as  an  act  of  rebellion,  and  justified  the  principles  of  the  Kansas  and  Nebraska  Act 
(see  above).  He,  however,  espoused  the  national  cause  at  the  opening  of  the  civil 
war.  and  urged  a  cordial  support  of  the  administration  at  Washington. 

t  The  public  lands  have  often  threatened  the  peace  of  the  nation.  (1.)  The  ques- 
tion of  their  ownership  was  one  of  the  greatest  obstacles  to  the  Union  of  the  States. 
In  1781,  New  York  was  the  first  to  present  her  western  territory  to  the  general 
government.  Virginia  followed  her  example  in  1784,  donating  the  great  North- 
western Territory— a  princely  domain,  which,  if  retained,  would  have  made  her  the 
richest  of  the  States ;  she  reserved  only  3.700,000  acres  in  Ohio,  which  she  subse- 
quently sold  in  small  tracts  to  settlers.  Massachusetts,  in  1785,  relinquished  her 
claim,  retaining  a  proprietary  right  over  large  tracts  in  New  York.  Connecticut,  in 
1786,  did  the  same,  and  from  the  sale  of  her  lands  in  Ohio  laid  the  foundation  of  her 
school  fund  of  $2,000.000.  Georgia  and  the  Carolinas  gave  up  their  right  to  territory 
from  which  has  since  been  carved  the  States  of  Tennessee.  Mississippi,  and  Alabama. 
(2.)  Since  these  lands  became  the  property  of  the  general  government,  a  most  per- 
plexing question  has  been,  Shall  they  be  free  ?  Upon  it  has  hinged  largely  the  poli- 
tics of  the  country.  The  admission  of  Missouri,  Texas,  California,  and  Kansas 
have  each  been  the  signal  for  the  reopening  of  this  vexed  question.— Though  the 


1854.]  EPOCH    IV.  195 

diation  of  the  Missouri  Compromise,  excited  the  most  intense 
feeling.*  It,  however,  became  a  law  (May,  1854). 

"Border  Warfare" — The  struggle  was  now  taken  from 
Congress  to  Kansas.  A  bitter  contest  arose  between  the  pro- 
slavery  and  anti-slavery  men — the  former  anxious  to  secure 
the  State  for  slavery ;  the  latter,  for  freedom.  Each  party  sent 
bodies  of  armed  emigrants  to  the  Territory.  Civil  war  ensued. 
Bands  of  "armed  men"  crossed  over  -from  Missouri,  took 
possession  of  the  polls,  and  controlled  elections.  Houses  were 
attacked  and  pillaged.  Men  were  murdered  in  cold  blood. 
For  several  years  Kansas  was  a  scene  of  lawless  violence. 

Foreign  Affairs. — Mexico. — Owing  to  the  inaccuracy  of 
the  map  used  in  the  treaty  between  the  United  States  and 
Mexico,  a  dispute  arose  with  regard  to  the  boundary  line. 
General  Gadsden  negotiated  a  settlement  whereby  $10,000,000 
were  paid  to  Mexico,  and  additional  territory,  known  as  the 
"  Gadsden  purchase,"  secured  to  the  United  States. 

Japan. — Commodore  Perry's  expedition  to  Japan  (1854) 
excited  great  attention.  He  negotiated  a  treaty  securing 
great  commercial  advantages  to  the  United  States  over  any 
other  country. 

Political  Parties. — The  compromises  of  1820  and  1850 
being  now  abolished,  the  slave  question  became  the  turning 
point  of  the  election.  New  party  lines  were  drawn  to  meet 


public  lands  have  been  the  cause  of  intestine  strife,  they  have  been  a  great  source  of 
national  wealth.  Their  sale  has  brought  large  sums  into  the  treasury.  They  have 
been  given  to  settlers  as  a  stimulus  to  emigration.  They  have  been  granted  to  en- 
dow colleges  and  schools,  to  build  railroads,  to  reward  the  soldiers,  and  support  their 
widows  and  orphans.  In  every  township  to  be  incorporated  hereafter  in  the  great 
west,  one-eighteenth  of  the  land  must  be  reserved  for  school  purposes.  By  the 
Homestead  Act  of  1862,  any  citizen  may  secure  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres.  In  consequence  of  the  facility  with  which  land  may  be  acquired,  the  United 
States  has  over  6,000,000  landowners,  while  England  has  but  30,000. 

«  During  the  discussion.  Mr.  Sumner,  of  Massachusetts,  made  some  reflections 
upon  South  Carolina  and  her  representatives.  For  this  he  was  assailed  by  Preston 
8.  Brooks,  one  of  the  South  Carolina  representatives,  and  so  severely  injured  that  ioi 
,hree  years  he  could  not  resume  his  seat 


190  UNITED    STATES    HISTORY.  [1856. 

this  issue.*  The  whig  party  ceased  to  exist.  The  repub- 
lican party,  absorbing  all  who  opposed  the  extension  of  slavery, 
nominated  John  C.  Fremont,  who  received  the  vote  of  eleven 
States.  The  democratic  party,  retaining  its  organization, 
nominated  James  Buchanan,  who  was  elected  President. 


BUCHANAN'S    ADMINISTRATION.! 

(FIFTEENTH  PRESIDENT :  1857-1861.) 

Domestic  Affairs. — Dred  Scott  I  Decision. — The  Supreme 
Court  of  the  United  States  (1857),  through  Chief-Justice 
Taney,  declared  that  slave-owners  might  take  their  slaves  into 
any  State  in  the  Union  without  forfeiting  authority  over  them. 
At  the  North,  this  was  considered  as  removing  the  last  barrier 

*  A  third  party,  called  the  Know-Nothing  or  American  party,  was  organized  to  re- 
sist the  influence  of  foreigners.  It  carried  the  vote  of  only  one  State,  Maryland.  Its 
motto  was,  "Americrf  for  Americans."  The  party  aroused  bitter  feelings  while  it 
lasted,  but  it  had  a  transient  existence. 

t  James  Buchanan  was  born  1791;  died  1868.  The  "bachelor-President"  was 
sixty-six  years  old  when  he  was  called  to  the  executive  chair.  He  had  just  returned 
to  his  native  country,  after  an  absence  of  four  years  as  minister  to  England.  Pre- 
viously to  that  he  had  been  well  known  in  public  life  as  Congressman,  Senator,  and  as 
Secretary  of  State  under  President  Polk.  As  Senator  in  Jackson's  time,  he  heartily 
supported  his  administration.  With  Van  Buren,  he  warmly  advocated  the  idea  of  an 
independent  treasury  (see  p.  179)  against  the  opposition  of  Clay,  Webster,  and  others. 
Under  Tyler,  he  was  urgently  in  favor  of  the  annexation  of  Texas,  thus  again  coming 
into  conflict  with  Clay  and  Webster.  However,  he  cordially  agreed  with  them  in  the 
compromise  of  1850  (see  p.  193),  and  urged  its  favor  upon  the  people.  Much  was 
hoped  from  his  election,  as  he  avowejl  the  object  of  his  administration  to  be  "  to 
destroy  any  sectional  party,  whether  North  or  South,  and  to  restore,  if  possible,  that 
national  fraternal  feeling  between  the  different  States  that  had  existed  during  the 
early  days  of  the  Republic."  But  popular  passion  and  sectional  jealousy  were  too 
strong  to  yield  to  pleasant  persuasion.  We  shall  see  in  the  text  how  the  heated 
nation  was  drawn  into  the  horrors  of  civil  war.  When  Mr.  Buchanan's  administra- 
tion closed,  the  fearful  conflict  was  close  at  hand.  He  retired  to  his  estate  in  Penn- 
sylvania, where  he  died. 

$  Scott  and  his  wife  were  slaves,  belonging  to  a  surgeon  in  the  United  States  army. 
They  were  taken  into  and  resided  in  Illinois  and  at  Fort  Snelling,  in  territory  where, 
by  the  ordinance  of  1787,  slavery  was  forever  prohibited.  Afterward  they  were  car- 
ried into  Missouri,  where  they  and  their  children  were  held  as  slaves.  They  claimed 
freedom  on  the  ground  that,  by  the  act  of  their  master,  they  had  been  taken  into  free 
territory.  The  decision  of  the  court  against  their  claims  created  an  intense  excite- 
ment throughout  the  country. 


1857.]  EPOCH    IV.  197 

to  the  extension  of  slavery,  and  as  changing  it  from  a  local  to 
a  national  institution ;  at  the  South,  only  as  a  right  guaranteed 
them  by  the  Constitution,  Avhereby  they  should  be  protected  in 
the  possession  of  their  property  in  every  State. 

The  Fugitive  Slave  Law  had  intensified  the  already  heated 
controversy.  The  subject  of  slavery  absorbed  all  others.  The 
provision  which  commanded  all  good  citizens  to  aid  in  the 
arrest  of  fugitives  was  especially  obnoxious  to  the  North.  Dis- 
turbances arose  whenever  attempts  were  made  to  restore  run- 
aways to  their  masters.  Several  of  the  northern  States  passed 
"Personal  Liberty"  bills,  securing  to  fugitive  slaves,  when 
arrested,  the  right  of  trial  by  jury. 

John  Brown,  a  man  who  had  brooded  over  the  exciting 
scenes  through  which  he  had  passed  in  Kansas  until  he 
thought  himself  called  upon  to  take  the  law  into  his  own 
hands,  seized  upon  the  United  States  Arsenal  at  Harper's 
Ferry  (1859),  und  proclaimed  freedom  to  all  slaves  in  the 
vicinity.  His  feeble  band  was  soon  overpowered  by  United 
States  troops,  and  Brown  himself  hung  as  a  traitor.  Though 
it  was  soon  known  that  his  wild  design  had  never  asked 
counsel  of  any  one,  yet  at  the  time  the  Southern  feeling  was 
aroused  to  frenzy,  his  act  being  looked  upon  as  significant  of 
the  sentiments  of  the  North. 

Political  Parties. — The  fall  elections  again  turned  on 
the  question  of  slavery.  The  democratic  party  divided,  and 
made  two  nominations  for  President :  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  who 
favored  squatter  sovereignty,  and  John  C.  Breckinridge,  who 
claimed  that  slavery  could  be  carried  into  any  territory.  The 
republican  party  nominated  Abraham  Lincoln,  who  held  that 
while  slavery  must  be  protected  where  it  was,  it  ought  not 
to  be  carried  into  any  free  territory.*  Lincoln  was  elected. 


*  The  "  Union  "  party  put  up  John  Bell,  of  Tennessee.    Their  motto  was,  "  The 
Union,  the  Constitution,  and  the  Enforcement  of  the  Laws." 


198 


UNITED    STATES    HISTORY. 


[1860 


ABRAHAM    LINCOLN. 


The  South  Secedes. — Throughout  the  fall  campaign 
the  Southern  leaders  had  threatened  to  secede  if  Mr.  Lin- 
coln were  elected.*  They 
now  declared  that  it  was 
time  to  leave  a  government 
which  had  fallen  into  the 
hands  of  their  avowed  en- 
emies. Since  the  time  of 
Calhoun,  they  had  been 
firm  believers  in  the  doc- 
trine of  State  rights,  which 
taught  that  a  State  could 
leave  the  Union  whenever 
it  pleased.  In  December 
(1860)  South  Carolina  led 
off,  and  soon  Mississippi, 
Florida,  Alabama,  Georgia, 
Louisiana,  and  Texas  had  joined  in  passing  ordinances  of 

*  This  was  not  a  sudden  increment  on  their  part.  The  sectional  difference  be- 
tween the  North  and  the  South  had  its  source  in  the  difference  of  climate,  whici. 
greatly  modified  the  character  and  habits  of  the  people ;  also,  while  the  agricultural 
pursuits  and  staple  products  of  the  South  made  slave  labor  profitable,  the  mechan- 
ical pursuits  and  the  more  varied  products  of  the  North  made  it  unprofitable.  These 
antagoniMns,  settled  first  by  the  Missouri  Compromise  of  1820,  reopened  by  the 
tariff  of  1828,  bursting  forth  in  the  nullification  of  1832,  pacified  by  Clay's  com- 
promise tariff,  increased  through  the  annexation  of  Texas  and  the  consequent  war 
with  Mexico,  irritated  by  the  Wilmot  Proviso,  lulled  for  a  time  by  the  compromise 
of  1850,  awakened  anew  by  the  "  squatter  sovereignty "  policy  of  1853,  roused  to 
fury  by  the  agitation  in  Kansas,  spread  broadcast  by  the  Dred  Scott  decision,  the 
attempted  execution  of  the  Fugitive  Slave  Law  and  the  John  Brown  raid,  had  now 
reached  a  point  where  war  was  the  only  remedy.  The  election  of  Lincoln  was  the 
pivot  on  which  the  result  turned.  The  cause  ran  back  through  thirty  years  of  con- 
troversy to  the  difference  in  climate,  in  occupation,  and  in  habit  of  life  and  thought. 
Strange  to  say,  both  sections  misunderstood  each  other.  The  Southern  people  be- 
lieved the  North  to  be  so  engrossed  in  money-making  and  so  enfeebled  by  luxury 
that  it  could  only  send  to  the  field  mercenary  soldiers,  who  would  easily  be  beaten 
by  the  patriotic  Southerners.  They  said,  "  Cotton  is  King ;"  and  believed  that  Eng- 
land and  France  were  so  dependent  upon  them  for  that  staple,  that  their  republic 
would  be  recognized  and  defended  by  those  European  powers.  On  the  other  hand, 
the  Northern  people  did  not  believe  that  the  South  would  dare  to  fight  for  slavery 
when  it  had  4,000,000  slaves  exposed  to  the  chances  of  war.  They  thought  it  to  be 
all  bluster,  and  hence  paid  little  heed  to  the  threat  of  secession  or  of  war.  Both  sides 
sadly  learned  their  mistake,  only  too  late. 


1861.] 


EPOCH    IV. 


199 


JEFFERSON  DAVIS. 


secession.  In  February  (1861)  delegates  met  at  Montgomery, 
Ala.,  and  formed  a  government  called  the  "  Confederate  States  of 
America."  Jefferson  Davis, 
of  Mississippi,  was  chosen 
for  President,  and  Alexan- 
der H.  Stephens,  of  Geor- 
gia, Vice-President  United 
States  forts,  arsenals,  mints, 
custom-houses,  and  ships 
were  seized  by  the  States 
in  which  they  were  situ- 
ated. President  Buchanan 
did  nothing  to  prevent  the 
catastrophe.  General  Scott 
urged  action.  But  the  regu- 
lar army  was  small,  and  the 
troops  widely  scattered.  The 

navy  had  been  sent  to  distant  ports.     The  Cabinet  largely 

sympathized  with  the  secessionists.     Numerous  unsuccessful 

efforts  were  made  to  effect  compromise.      It  was  the  gen- 

__=_=^  eral  expectation  that 


there  would  be  no  war. 
The  cry,  "No  coer- 
cion," was  general.* 
Yet  affairs  steadily 
drifted  on  toward  war. 
Fort  Sumter.— 
All  eyes  were  now 
turned  on  Fort  Sum- 
^  Here  Major  An- 
derson  kept  the  United  States  flag  flying  in  Charleston  harbor. 

*  Even  the  New  York  Tribune  declared— "  Whenever  any  considerable  section  of 
our  Union  shall  deliberately  resolve  to  go  out,  we  shall  resist  all  coercive  measures 
to  keep  them  in." 


200  UNITED    STATES    HISTORY.  [1861. 

He  had  been  stationed  in  Fort  Moultrie,  but  fearing  an  attack, 
he  had  crossed  over  (December  26)  to  Fort  Sumter,  a  much 
stronger  position.  The  South  Carolinians,  looking  upon  this 
as  a  hostile  act,  took  possession  of  the  remaining  forts,  com- 
menced erecting  batteries,  and  prepared  to  reduce  Fort  Sum- 
ter. Major  Anderson  was  compelled  by  his  instructions  to 
remain  a  quiet  spectator  of  these  preparations.  The  Star  of 
the  West,  an  unarmed  steamer,  bearing  troops  and  supplies 
to  the  fort,  was  fired  upon  and  driven  back.  The  Southern 
leaders  declared  that  any  attempt  to  relieve  Fort  Sumter 
would  be  a  declaration  of  war.  The  government  seemed  par- 
alyzed with  fear.  All  now  waited  for  the  new  President. 


STATES  ADMITTED  DURING  THE  FOURTH  EPOCH, 
The  number  of  States  increased  during  this  epoch  from, 
thirteen  to  thirty-four.     The  following  is  the  order  in  which 
they  were  received : 

Vermont,  the  fourteenth  State,  and  the  first  under  the 
Constitution,  was  admitted  to  the  Union  March  4,  1791.  It 
was  so  called  from  its  principal  range  of  mountains  (verd, 
green,  and  mont,  mountain).  Champlain  discovered  and  ex- 
plored much  of  it  in  1609.  The  first  settlement  was  made 
in  1724,  in  the  present  town  of  Brattleborough,  where  Fort 
Dummer  was  erected.  The  region  was  claimed  by  both  New 
Hampshire  and  New  York  (see  p.  110).  In  1777,  the  inhabit- 
ants declared  the  "New  Hampshire  grants"  an  independent 
State,  under  the  title  "  New  Connecticut,  alias  Vermont."  In 
1791,  however,  New  York  consented  to  relinquish  her  claim 
on  the  payment  of  $30,000,  and  Vermont  was  accordingly  ad- 
mitted into  the  Union. 

Kentucky,  the  fifteenth  State,  was  admitted  to  the 
Union  June  1,  1792.  The  name,  "dark  and  bloody  ground," 


1792.]  EPOCH    IT.  201 

had  its  origin  in  the  fierce  conflicts  which  took  place  between 
the  white  and  red  men.  Daniel  Boone,  a  famous  hunter,  for 
two  years  rambled  through  the  forests  of  this  region,  delighted 
with  its  scenery  and  the  abundance  of  game.  After  many 
thrilling  adventures  and  narrow  escapes  from  the  Indians,  he 
established  a  fort  at  Boonesborough,  and  removed  his  family 
thither  in  June,  1775.  This  was  the  first  permanent  settle- 
ment in  the  State,  then  a  part  of  Virginia,  from  which  it  was 
not  separated  till  1790. 

Tennessee,  the  sixteenth  State,  was  admitted  to  the 
Union  June  1, 1796.  It  was  named  from  the  river  Tennessee, 
the  "  river  with  the  great  bend."  It  is  thought  that  De  Soto, 
in  his  wanderings,  visited  the  spot  where  Memphis  now  stands. 
The  first  permanent  settlement  in  the  State*  was  at  Fort 
London,  thirty  miles  from  the  present  site  of  Knoxville,  in 
1756.  In  1780,  James  Eobertson  crossed  the  mountains  with  a 
party,  and  located  where  Nashville  now  stands,  but  which  was 
then  a  wilderness.  In  1789,  North  Carolina  gave  up  her  claim 
on  the  region,  and  the  next  year  it  was  joined  with  Kentucky 
to  form  an  independent  territory.  It  received  a  distinct  terri- 
torial government  two  years  before  it  became  a  State. 

Ohio,  the  seventeenth  State,  was  admitted  to  the  Union 
November  29,  1802.  It  was  so  called  from  the  river  of  that 
name,  signifying  the  "  beautiful  river."  The  first  explorations 
were  made  by  the  French,  under  La  Salle,  about  1680.  The 
first  permanent  settlement  was  at  Marietta,  in  1788.  It  was 
the  first  State  carved  out  of  the  great  Northwest  Territory,  f 

Louisiana,  the  eighteenth  State,  was    admitted  to  the 

*  This  was  the  first  permanent  English  settlement  south  of  Pennsylvania  and  west 
of  the  Alleghanies. 

t  This  territory  was  created  in  1787,  and  included  all  the  public  land  north  of  the 
Ohio.  It  embraced  the  present  States  of  Michigan,  Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois,  Wiscon- 
sin, and  part  of  Minnesota.  It  was  a  part  of  New  France  before  the  French  authority 
ceased  in  1763.  The  British  held  possession  for  twenty  years,  when  the  country  was 
ceded  to  the  United  States. 


203  UNITED     STATES     HISTORY. 

tlnion  April  8,  1812.  The  territory  was  named  in  honor  of 
Louis  XIV,  king  of  France.  The  French  explored  the  river 
Mississippi  to  the  sea  in  1682  (see  p.  34),  but  their  first  settle- 
ment was  made  by  Iberville  at  Biloxi,  near  its  mouth,  in  1699. 
New  Orleans  was  founded  in  1718.*  The  territory  was  ceded 
to  Spain  in  1762,  but  in  1800  was  receded  to  France.  When 
the  "United  States  purchased  it  (see  p.  155),  Louisiana  included 
all  the  region  north  and  west  between  the  Mississippi  and  the 
Pacific,  except  such  portions  then  occupied  by  Spam  (see 
California),  and  north  to  the  British  possessions.  In  1804, 
this  region  was  divided  into  two  portions — the  territory  of 
Orleans,  which  included  the  present  State  of  Louisiana,  and 
the  district  of  Louisiana,  which  comprised  the  remainder. 
The  former  was  admitted  to  the  Union  as  Louisiana,  and  the 
name  of  the  latter  changed  to  Missouri. 

Indiana,  the  nineteenth  State,  was  admitted  to  the  Union 
December  11, 1816.  The  name  is  derived  from  the  word  In- 
dian. The  exact  date  of  its  first  settlement  is  undetermined. 
When  Ohio  was  taken  from  the  Northwest  Territory,  the  re- 
mainder was  called  Indiana,  It  was  reduced  to  its  present 
limits  in  1809,  and  was  the  second  State  admitted  from  the 
Northwest  Territory.  After  the  Indian  difficulties  which 
hindered  its  early  development  had  subsided,  its  growth  was 
very  rapid.  Between  1810  and  1820,  its  population  increased 
five  hundred  per  cent 

Mississippi,  the  twentieth  State,  was  admitted  to  the 
Union  December  10,  1817.  It  is  named  from  the  Mississippi 
Kiver,  the  "  Great  Father  of  Waters."  De  Soto  was  the  first 
European  who  traversed  this  region.  In  1700,  Chevalier  de 
Tonty,  with  a  party  of  Canadian  French,  ascended  the  river 

*  The  colony  was  granted  to  the  great  Mississippi  Company,  organized  by  John 
Law,  at  Paris,  for  the  purpose  of  settling  and  deriving  profit  from  the  French  posses- 
sions in  North  America,  When  this  bubble  burst,  the  French  crown  resumed  the 
eountry. 


1817.]  £POCH    IV-  #03 

to  the  Natchez  country,  where  they  selected  a  site  for  a  fort 
and  called  it  Rosalie.  A  settlement  called  St.  Peters  was 
made  in  1703,  on  the  Yazoo.  In  1728,  the  Indians  swept 
every  vestige  of  civilization  from  the  present  limits  of  the 
State.  Under  the  French  governors  who  followed,  fierce  and 
bloody  wars  were  waged  with  the  Natchez,  Chickasaw,  and 
Choctaw  Indians.  In  1763,  Louisiana  east  of  the  Mississippi, 
including  a  part  of  what  is  now  Mississippi  and  Alabama,  was 
ceded  to  the  British,  and  became  a  part  of  Georgia.  The 
Mississippi  Territory  was  created  in  1798,  and  lands  were  after- 
ward added  until  it  embraced  the  present  States  of  Mississippi 
and  Alabama.  The  latter  became  a  separate  Territory  in 
March,  1817. 

Illinois,  the  twenty-first  State,  was  admitted  to  the  "Union 
December  3,  1818.  Its  name  is  derived  from  its  principal 
river,  signifying  "  River  of  men."  Its  first  settlements  were 
made  by  La  Salle.*  After  the  States  of  Ohio  and  Indiana, 
and  the  Territory  of  Michigan  had  been  taken  from  the 
Northwest  Territory,  the  remainder  was  styled  the  Illinois 
Territory,  and  comprised  the  present  States  of  Illinois,  "Wis- 
consin, and  a  part  of  Minnesota.  The  settlement  of  this  Ter- 
ritory was  greatly  impeded  hy  Indian  hostilities.  The  massacre 
at  Fort  Chicago,  August  15,  1812,  and  the  Black  Hawk  war, 
are  instances  of  the  dangers  and  trials  which  beset  the  pioneer. 
The  great  prosperity  of  the  State  dates  from  the  year  1850, 
when  munificent  grants  of  land  were  made  to  the  Central 
Railroad.  The  prairie  wilderness  was  rapidly  settled,  and 
towns  and  cities  sprang  up  as  by  magic. 

Alabama,  the  twenty-second  State,  was  admitted  to  the 


*  That  enterprising  traveller,  after  exploring  the  Illinois  River,  omit  a  small  fort 
which  he  called  CreVecceur  (krave-kur),  and  left  it  in  command  of  the  Chevalier  de 
Tonty.  Three  years  afterward  he  returned  with  some  Canadians  and  founded  Kas- 
kaskia,  Cahokia,  and  other  towns,  which  early  became  flourishing,  though  the  set- 
tlers, in  manners  and  hahits,  were  assimilated  to  the  Indians. 


204  UNITED    STATES    HISTORY.  [1819. 

Union  December  14,  1819.  Its  name  is  of  Indian  origin,  and 
signifies  "  Here  we  rest."  It  was  originally  a  part  of  Georgia. 
(See  Mississippi.)  The  fierce  contests  with  the  Creek  Indians, 
ended  by  Jackson,  gave  to  the  State  a  yast  and  fertile  region. 
The  first  settlement  was  made  by  Bienville  on  Mobile  Bay,  in 
1702.  Nine  years  afterward,  the  present  site  of  Mobile  was 
occupied.  Mobile  was  the  original  seat  of  the  French  colo- 
nization in  Louisiana,  and  for  many  years  the  capital.  Having 
been  ceded  to  Great  Britain  and  then  to  Spain,  in  1813  it  was 
surrendered  to  General  Wilkinson,  and  has  since  remained  in 
the  possession  of  the  United  States. 

Maine,  the  twenty-third  State,  was  admitted  to  the  Union 
March  15, 1820.  (See  p.  60.) 

Missouri,  the  twenty-fourth  State,  was  admitted  to  the 
Union  August  10,  1821.  Its  name  is  derived  from  its  prin- 
cipal river,  and  means  "  Muddy  water."  Its  oldest  town,  St. 
Genevieve,  was  founded  in  1755.  The  district  of  Louisiana 
(see  Louisiana)  was  organized  as  Louisiana  Territory  in  1805, 
and  St.  Louis  made  its  capital.  "When  Louisiana  became  a 
State,  the  name  of  the  Territory  was  changed  to  Missouri. 
On  the  admission  of  the  State  of  Missouri  into  the  Union,  its 
boundaries  were  restricted  to  their  present  limits. 

Arkansas,  the  twenty-fifth  State,  was  admitted  to  the 
Union  June  15, 1836.  It  took  its  name  from  a  now  extinct 
tribe  of  Indians.  It  was  discovered  and  settled  by  the  French 
under  Chevalier  de  Tonty,  as  early  as  1685.  It  followed  the 
fate  of  the  other  portions  of  Louisiana.  On  the  admission  of 
the  State  of  Missouri,  Arkansas  was  organized  as  a  Territory, 
including  the  present  State  and  a  part  of  Indian  Territory. 

Michigan,  the  twenty-sixth  State,  was  admitted  to  the 
Union  January  26,  1837.  The  name  is  of  Indian  origin,  sig- 
nifying "  Great  Lake."  It  was  early  visited  by  missionaries 
(see  p.  33)  and  fur  traders.  Detroit  was  founded  in  1701  by 


1837.]  EPOCH   IV.  205 

.  Cadillac.  The  region,  first  a  part  of  the  Northwest  Territory, 
then  of  Indiana  Territory,  was  organized  as  a  separate  Terri- 
tory in  1805.  All  the  country  north  of  the  present  States  of 
Indiana  and  Ulinois,  was  annexed  to  Michigan  in  1818.  The 
act  of  admission  gave  the  State  its  present  boundaries. 

Florida,  the  twenty-seventh  State,  was  admitted  to  the 
Union  March  3,  1845.  The  Spanish  word  florida,  means 
blooming.  (See  also  p.  27.)  Its  early  visitors,  Ponce  de 
Leon,  De  Narvaez,  and  De  Soto,  its  first  settlement  at  St 
Augustine,  its  history  under  the  Spaniards,  and  the  Seminole 
war,  have  been  incidentally  described.  It  was  organized  as  a 
Territory  March  3,  1819. 

Texas,  the  twenty -eighth  State,  was  admitted  to  the  Union 
December  27,  1845.  It  was  explored  by  De  Leon  and  La 
Salle.  The  latter,  intending  to  found  a  French  settlement  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi,  sailed  by  it  unawares,  and,  land- 
ing at  Matagorda  Bay,  built  Fort  St  Louis  on  the  Lavaca. 
The  Spaniards  afterward  explored  and  partially  settled  the 
country,  establishing  missions  at  various  points.  These  did 
not  prosper,  however,  and  the  region  was  populated  mainly  by 
roving  bands  of  Indians.  Civil  war  had  impoverished  the  few 
settlers  who  were  unable  to  flee  the  country,  and  Galveston 
was  nearly  deserted,  when,  in  1820,  Moses  Austin,  a  native  of 
Connecticut,  obtained  from  the  Spanish  authorities  in  Mexico 
a  grant  of  land.  Emigration  from  the  United  States  was 
encouraged,  and  in  1830  there  were  twenty  thousand  Ameri- 
cans in  Texas.  The  jealousy  of  Mexico  being  excited,  acts  of 
oppression  followed,  and  in  1835  the  Texans  were  driven  to 
declare  their  independence.  After  a  year  of  severe  fighting* 


*  Santa  Anna,  with  four  thousand  men,  having  attacked  the  Alamo,  a  fort  garri- 
soned by  only  one  hundred  and  seventy-two  men,  every  man  of  that  gallant  few  died 
at  his  post  except  seven,  who  were  killed  while  asking  for  quarter.  Here  David 
Crockett,  the  famous  hunter,  who  had  volunteered  to  fight  with  the  Texans  for  their 
liberty,  fell,  pierced  with  wounds,  but  surrounded  by  the  corpses  of  those  whom  ha 


206  UNITED    STATES    HISTORY-  [184& 

and  alternating  victories,  Santa  Anna  was  conquered.  The 
next  year  (1837)  Texas  sought  admission  into  the  Union.  In 
1844  the  question  was  revived.  The  last  act  of  Tyler's  ad- 
ministration was  to  sign  a  bill  for  its  admission.  This  bill  was 
ratified  by  a  convention  of  the  State,  July  5th  of  the  same 
year. 

Iowa,  the  twenty-ninth  State,  was  admitted  to  the  Union 
December  28,  1846.  Its  name  is  of  Indian  origin,  signifying 
"Drowsy  ones."  Julien  Dubuque,  a  Canadian  Frenchman,  ob- 
tained in  1788  a  large  tract  of  land,  including  the  present  site 
of  Dubuque.  He  there  built  a  fort  and  traded  with  the  Indians 
till  1810.  The  first  permanent  settlement  was  made  at  Bur- 
lington in  1833,  by  emigrants  from  Illinois.  The  same  year, 
Dubuque  was  founded.  This  Territory  belonged  to  the  Louis- 
iana tract  and  partook  of  its  fortunes.  It  was  successively  a 
part  of  Missouri,  Michigan,  and  Wisconsin  Territories,  but 
was  organized  separately  in  1838.  It  then  included  all  of 
Minnesota  west  of  the  Mississippi  Eiver,  but  when  admitted  as 
a  State  was  reduced  to  its  present  limits. 

Wisconsin,  the  thirtieth  State,  was  admitted  to  the 
Union  May  29,  1848.  Its  name  is  derived  from  its  principal 
river,  and  signifies  "  The  gathering  of  the  waters."  It  was  ex- 
plored by  French  missionaries  and  traders  as  early  as  1639. 
Green  Bay  was  founded  in  1745.  This  region  was  also  a  part 
of  the  Louisiana  purchase.  It  was  comprised  in  the  Territory 
of  Illinois,  then  of  Michigan,  and  in  1836  became  a  separate 
Territory. 

California,  the  thirty-first  State,  was  admitted  to  the 
Union  September  9,  1850  (see  p.  190).  Sip  Francis  Drake, 
in  1578-9,  sailed  along  its  coast,  named  it  New  Albion,  and 
wintered  in  San  Francisco  harbor  (see  p.  35).  In  1769, 

had  cut  down  ere  he  was  overpowered.  In  the  battle  of  San  Jacinto,  Santa  Anna 
with  fifteen  hundred  men,  was  defeated  by  eight  hundred,  under  General  Sam 
Houston. 


1S50.J 


EPOCH     IV. 


20? 


San  Francisco  Bay 


The  Golden  Gate. 


OF   SAN    FRANCISCO. 


the  Spaniards  established  the  mission  of  San  Diego  (de-a'-go), 
and  in  1776  (year  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence),  one  at 
San  Francisco.*  In  1803,  they  had  eighteen  missions  with  over 
fifteen  thousand  converts,  and  the  entire  government  of  the 
country  was  in  the  hands  of  the  Franciscan  monks.  The 
Mexican  revolution,  in  1822,  overthrew  the  Spanish  power  in 


*  In  ia35,  a  shanty  owned  by  one  Richardson  was  the  only  human  habitation,  and 
the  vast  bay  was  a  solitude.  The  first  survey  of  streets  and  town  lots  was  in  1839. 
The  principal  trade  was  in  exporting  hides,  and  that  was  small.  In  1846,  an  Ameri- 
can man-of-war  entered  the  harbor,  and  took  possession  in  the  name  of  the  United 
States.  The  town  was  known  as  Yerba  Buena  (good  herb)  until  1847,  when  it  was 
changed  to  its  present  name.  About  that  time  it  had  a  population  of  four  hundred 
and  fifty-nine.  The  discovery  of  gold  in  1848  (see  p.  190)  gave  the  city  its  first  start 
toward  its  present  distinction.  Within  eighteen  months  following  December,  1849, 
the  city  lost  by  fire  $16.000,000  of  property,  though  its  population  did  not  exceed 
thirty  thousand.  Such,  however,  was  the  enterprise  of  its  citizens,  that  these  tre- 
mendous losses  scarcely  interrupted  its  growth  or  prosperity.  Its  magnificent  harbor 
and  its  railroad  communications  give  it  a  very  extensive  commerce  on  the  Pacific 
Coast. 


208  UNITED     STATES    HISTORY.  [1858. 

California,  and  in  a  few  years  the  Franciscans  were  stripped  of 
their  wealth  and  influence.  In  1831,  the  white  population  did 
not  exceed  five  thousand.  From  1843  to  1846,  many  emi- 
grants from  the  United  States  settled  in  California,  and,  under 
the  leadership  of  Fremont  and  others,  wrested  the  country 
from  Mexico  (see  p.  188).  By  the  treaty  at  the  close  of  the 
Mexican  war,  Upper  California  was  ceded  to  the  United 
States.  It  embraced  about  450,000  square  miles,  comprising 
what  is  now  known  as  California,  Nevada,  Arizona,  Utah,  and 
parts  of  Colorado  and  New  Mexico. 

Minnesota,  the  thirty-second  State,  was  admitted  to  the 
Union  May  11, 1858.  It  was  so  called  from  the  river  of  that 
name,  and  signifies  "  Cloudy  water."  In  1680,  La  Salle  and 
Hennepin  penetrated  this  region.  Other  travellers  followed, 
and  within  the  present  century  the  whole  country  has  been 
thoroughly  explored.  Fort  Snelling  was  established  in  1819. 
St.  Paul  was  settled  in  1846  by  emigrants  from  the  East.  The 
Territory  of  Minnesota  was  organized  in  1849,  with  the  Mis- 
souri and  White  rivers  for  its  western  boundary,  thus  embrac- 
ing nearly  twice  the  area  of  the  present  State.  At  this  time 
its  population  was  less  than  five  thousand,  consisting  of  whites 
and  half-breeds  settled  about  the  various  missions  and  trading- 
posts.  In  1851,  the  Sioux  ceded  a  large  tract  of  land  to  the 
United  States.  After  this  the  population  increased  so  rapidly 
that  in  six  years  Minnesota  applied  for  admission  into  the 
Union. 

Oregon,  the  thirty-third  State,  was  admitted  to  the  Union 
February  14,  1859.  It  is  said  to  derive  its  name  from  the 
Spanish  oregano,  wild  marjoram,  abundant  on  its  coast.  It 
constituted  a  part  of  the  Louisiana  purchase,  though  for  a 
long  time  little  was  known  of  this  portion  of  that  vast  terri- 
tory. In  1792,  Captain  Gray,  of  Boston,  entered  the  Colum- 
bia, giving  the  river  the  name  of  his  ship.  On  his  return,  he 


1859.]  EPOCH    IV.  209 

gave  such  a  flattering  report  of  the  country  that  there  was  a 
general  desire  to  know  more  of  it.  In  1804,  the  year  after  the 
Louisiana  purchase,  Jefferson  sent  an  exploring  party,  under 
the  command  of  Captain  Lewis  and  Lieutenant  Clark,  which 
followed  the  Missouri  to  its  source  and  descended  the  Colum- 
bia to  the  Pacific.  The  history  of  their  adventures  is  one  of 
the  most  romantic  of  the  century.  An  extensive  fur-trade 
soon  began.  Fort  Astoria  was  built  in  1811  by  the  American 
Fur  Company,  of  which  John  Jacob  Astor  was  a  prominent 
member.  Hunters  and  trappers  in  the  employ  of  American 
and  British  companies  roamed  over  the  whole  region.  Fort 
Vancouver  was  occupied  by  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  a 
British  organization,  till  1860.  In  1839,  the  first  American 
emigration  set  toward  this  region.  The  danger  of  war  which 
had  seriously  threatened  its  dawning  prosperity  was  averted 
when  the  northwest  boundary  was  settled  by  the  treaty  of  1846. 
In  1848,  it  was  organized  as  a  Territory,  and  included  all  the 
possessions  of  the  United  States  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains. 
In  1850,  Congress  granted  three  hundred  and  sixty  acres  to 
every  man,  and  the  same  to  his  wife,  on  condition  of  residence 
on  the  land  for  four  years.  Eight  thousand  claims  were  made 
for  farms.  In  1853,  Washington  Territory  was  organized 
north  of  Columbia  River.  When  Oregon  was  admitted  as  a 
State,  it  was  reduced  to  its  present  limits. 

Kansas,  the  thirty-fourth  State,  was  admitted  to  the  Union 
January  29,  1861.  The  name  is  of  Indian  origin,  and  is  said 
to  mean  "  Smoky  water."  This  region  was  also  a  part  of  the 
Louisiana  purchase.  After  the  States  of  Louisiana,  Arkansas, 
Missouri,  Iowa,  and  Minnesota  had  been  carved  from  it,  there 
was  left  a  vast,  unoccupied  tract  at  the  west,  which  was  or- 
ganized by  the  Kansas  and  Nebraska  Act  of  1854.  The  his- 
tory of  the  strife  which  ensued  as  to  whether  it  should  be 
slave  or  free  has  been  narrated.  (See  p.  195.) 


210  UNITED     STATES     HISTORY.  [1789. 


'Summary  of  the  History  of  the  fourth  Epoch,  arranged 
in  Chronological  Order. 

PAGE 

1789.  Washington  inaugurated,  April  30, 147 

1791.  Vermont  admitted  to  the  Union,  March  4,         .        .        .200 

1793.  Kentucky  admitted  to  the  Union,  June  1,          ...  200 

Discovery  of  Columbia  River  by  Captain  Gray,  May  11,  .  208 

1793.  Difficulties  with  Genet, 153 

1794.  Indians  defeated  by  Wayne,  August  20,    .        .        ,        .  152 
Whisky  insurrection, 152 

1795.  Jay's  treaty  ratified,  June  24,      .        .        .        .        .        .153 

1796.  Tennessee  admitted  to  the  Union,  June  1,         ...  201 

1797.  John  Adams  inaugurated,  March  4, 154 

1799.  Washington  died  at  Mount  Vernon,  December  14,   .        .  148 

1800.  Capitol  removed  to  Washington, 147 

Treaty  with  France,  September  30, 155 

1801.  Thomas  Jefferson  inaugurated,  March  4,   .        .        .        .  1-55 
War  declared  by  United  States  against  Tripoli,  June  10,  157 

1802.  Ohio  admitted  to  the  Union,  November  29,       ...  201 

1803.  Louisiana  purchased  from  France,  April  30,      .        .        .  156 
Fleet  sent  against  Tripoli, 157 

1804.  Lieut.  Decatur  destroyed  frigate  Philadelphia,  Feb.  15,   .  157 
Hamilton  killed  by  Burr,  July  11, 156 

1805.  Treaty  of  peace  with  Tripoli,  June  3,        .        .        .        .157 
1807.  Chesapeake  fired  into  by  Leopard,  June  22,               .        .  158 

Embargo  on  American  ships,  December  22,       .        .        .  158 

Fulton  first  ascended  the  Hudson,  September  14,      .        .  157 

1809.  James  Madison  inaugurated,  March  4,       ....  159 

1811.  Action  between  the  President  and  the  Little  Belt,  May  16,  159 
Battle  of  Tippecanoe,  November  7, 159 

1812.  Louisiana  admitted  to  the  Union,  April  8,         ...  201 
War  declared  against  England,  June  19,  .        .        .        .  160 

Hull  invaded  Canada,  July  12, 160 

Mackinaw  surrendered,  July  17, 

Detroit  surrendered,  August  16, 160 

Constitution  captured  Guerriere,  August  19,      .        .        .  161 

Battle  of  Queenstown,  October  13, 160 

Wasp  captured  Frolic,  October  13, 162 

1813.  Battle  of  Frenchtown,  January  22, 163 

Capture  of  York,  April  27, 163 

Siege  of  Fort  Meigs,  May  1,        .        .        .        .        .        .164 

Sackett's  Harbor  attacked,  May  29, 163 

American  frigate  Chesapeake  captured  by  the  Shannon, 

Junel,     .                                                                          .  166 


1813.1  EPOCH    I-V.  211 


PAGE 

1813.  Battle  of  Fort  Stephenson,  Ohio,  August  2,       ...        .164 

Massacre  of  Fort  Mims,  August  30, 166 

Perry's  victory  on  Lake  Erie,  September  10,     .        .        .    164 

Battle  of  the  Thames,  October  5, 165 

Battle  of  Chrysler's  Field,  November  11,  .        .        .        .163 

1814.  Battle  of  Horse-shoe  Bend  (Tohopeka),  March  27,    .        .    166 

Battle  of  Chippewa,  July  5, 167 

Battle  of  Lundy's  Lane,  July  25, 167 

Washington  captured  by  the  British,  August  24,      .  ^     .     169 
Battle  of  Plattsburg  and  Lake  Champlain,  September  11,    168 
Bombardment  of  Fort  McHenry,  September  13,        .        .169 

Hartford  Convention,  December  15, 169 

Treaty  of  Peace,  December  24, 169 

1815.  Battle  of  New  Orleans,  January  8, 169 

War  with  Algiers, 171 

1816.  Indiana  admitted  to  the  Union,  December  11,  .        .         .     262 

1817.  James  Monroe  inaugurated,  March  4,        .        .        .        .172 
Mississippi  admitted  to  the  Union,  December  10,      .        .    202 

1818.  Illinois  admitted  to  the  Union,  December  3,      ...    203 

1819.  Alabama  admitted  to  the  Union,  December  14,         .        .     203 
Florida  purchased  of  Spain,  February  22,         ...     173 

1820.  Missouri  Compromise  passed,  March  3,     .        .        .        .172 
Maine  admitted  to  the  Union,  March  15,  .        .        .       60,  204 

1821.  Missouri  admitted  to  the  Union,  August  10,      .        .        .     204 

1824.  Visit  of  La  Fayette,  August  15, 173 

1825.  John  Quincy  Adams  inaugurated,  March  4,      ...  174 

1826.  Adams  and  Jefferson  died,  July  4, 154 

1829.  Jackson  inaugurated,  March  4, 175 

1832.  Black  Hawk  War, 177 

Nullification  in  South  Carolina, 175 

1835.  Dade's  massacre  by  Seininoles,  December  £8,    .        .        .  177 

1836.  Arkansas  admitted  to  the  Union,  June  15,        ...  204 

1837.  Michigan  admitted  to  the  Union,  January  26,   .        .        .  204 
Martin  Van  Buren  inaugurated,  March  4,          ...  178 
Battle  of  Okechobee,  Seminoles  routed  by  Taylor,  Dec.  25,  178 

1837-8.  "Patriot  War"— Canada, 179 

1841.  Wm.  H.  Harrison  inaugurated,  March  4,^ .        .        .        .180 
President  Harrison  died,  April  4,        .      *.        .        .        .180 
John  Tyler  inaugurated,  April  6, 180 

1842.  Dorr  Rebellion, 181 

1845.  Florida  admitted  to  the  Union,  March  3,   .        .        .        .205 

James  K.  Polk  inaugurated,  March  4,        .        .        .        .185 
Texas  admitted  to  the  Union,  December  27,      .        .        .205 


212  UNITED     SPATES     HISTORY. 

1846.  Battle  of  Palo  Alto,  May  8, 185 

Battle  of  Resaca  de  la  Palma,  May  9,        .        .        .         .185 

Congress  declared  war  against  Mexico,  May  11,'       .        .  186 

Monterey  captured,  September  24, 186 

Iowa  admitted  to  the  Union,  December  28,        .        .        -,  206 

1847.  Battle  of  Buena  Vista,  February  23, 186 

Vera  Cruz  captured,  March  29, 188 

•    Battle  of  Cerro  Gordo,  April  18, 188 

Battle  of  Contreras,  August  20, 189 

Capture  of  Chapultepec,  September  13,     .  .  189 

Mexico  surrendered,  September  14, 189 

1848.  Treaty  of  peace  with  Mexico,  February  2,         ...  190 
Gold  discovered  in  California,  February,  ....  190 
Wisconsin  admitted  to  the  Union,  May  29,        .        .        .206 

1849.  General  Taylor  inaugurated,  March  5,       .        .        .        .191 

1850.  General  Taylor  died,  July  9, 191 

Millard  Fillmore  inaugurated,  July  16,      .        .         .        .  191 

California  admitted  to  the  Union,  September  9,        .        .  206 

1853.  Franklin  Pierce  inaugurated,  March  4,      .        .        .        .194 

1854.  Commodore  Perry's  treaty  with  Japan,  March,          .        .  195 
Kansas-Nebraska  Bill  passed,  May, 195 

1857.  James  Buchanan  inaugurated,  March  4,    .        .        .        .  196 

1858.  Minnesota  admitted  to  the  Union,  May  11,        ...  208 

1859.  Oregon  admitted  to  the  Union,  February  14,     .        .        .  208 

1860.  South  Carolina  seceded  from  the  Union,  December  20,    .  198 

1861.  Steamer  Star  of  the  West  fired  upon,  January  9,      .        .  200 
Kansas  admitted  into  the  Union  as  a  State,  January  29,  .  209 
Southern  Confederacy  formed  at  Montgomery,  Feb.  4,    .  199 


Y- 


TrJE     CIVIL    WAR. 


From  1861— Lincoln's  Inauguration, 
To      1865— Surrender  of  Lee's  Army. 


LINCOLN'S    ADMINISTRATION* 

(SIXTEENTH  PRESIDENT  :  1861-1865.) 


NAUGURATION.  —  Kumor  of  a 
plan  to  assassinate  Lincoln  impelled 
him  to  come  to  Washington  in  dis- 
guise. He  was  inaugurated  March 
4, 1861,  surrounded  by  troops  under 
the  command  of  General  Scott. 

Condition  of  the  Country.— All 
was  now  uncertainty.  Officers  of  the 
army  and  navy  of  the  United  States 
were  daily  resigning,  and   linking 
their  fortunes  with  the  Confederate  cause.  There  was  still,  how- 

Questions  on  the  Geography  of  the  Fifth  Epoch.  —Locate  the  following 
places  noted  as  battle-fields.  (For  battles  before  Richmond,  see  pp.  236  and  261.) 
Philippi.  Big  Bethel.  Booneville.  Carthage.  Eich  Mountain.  Bull  Run.  Wilson's 
Creek.  Hatteras  Inlet.  Lexington,  Mo.  Ball's  Bluff.  Belmont.  Port  Royal.  Mill 
Spring.  Fort  Henry.  Roanoke  Island.  Fort  Donelson.  Pea  Ridge.  Newbern. 
Winchester.  Pittsburg  Landing.  Island  No.  10.  Fort  Pulaski.  Fort  Jackson. 
Fort  Macon.  Beaufort.  Torktown.  Williamsburg.  Corinth.  Fair  Oaks.  Me- 
chanicsviUe.  Gaines's  Mill.  Malvern  Hill.  Cedar  Mountain.  South  Mountain. 
Antietam.  Corinth.  Fredericksburg.  Holly  Springs.  Mnrfreesboro.  Galveston. 
Fort  Sumter.  Chancellorsville.  Vicksburg.  Gettysburg.  Port  Hudson.  Chicka- 
mauga.  Chattanooga.  Knoxville.  Fort  de  Russy.  Sabine  Cross  Roads.  Fort 
Pillow.  Wilderness.  Bermuda  Hundred.  Spottsylvania  Court  House.  Resaca. 
Dallas.  Cold  Harbor.  Lost  Mountain.  Petersburg.  Atlanta.  Mobile.  Fort 
Gaines.  Fort  Morgan.  Cedar  Creek.  Fort  McAllister.  Nashville.  Savannah. 
Fort  Fisher.  Columbia.  Goldsboro.  Fort  Steadman.  Five  Forks.  Appomattoz 
Court  House.  (The  battles  above  are  named  in  chronological  order.) 

*  Abraham  Lincoln  was  born  in  Kentucky,  February  12, 1809 ;  died  in  Washington, 


216  UNITED    STATES    HISTORY. 

ever,  a  strong  Union  sentiment  at  the  South.  Many  promi- 
nent men  in  both  sections  hoped  that  war  might  be  averted. 
The  Federal  authorities  feared  to  act,  lest  they  should  precipi- 
tate civil  strife.  In  striking  contrast  to  this  indecision  was  the 
marked  energy  of  the  new  Confederate  government.  It  was 
gathering  troops,  voting  money  and  supplies,  and  rapidly  pre- 
paring for  the  issue. 

Capture  of  Fort  Sumter.— Finding  that  supplies  were 
to  be  sent  to  Fort  Sumter,  General  Pierre  G.  T.  Beauregard 
(bo-re-gard),  who  had  command  of  the  Confederate  troops  at 
Charleston,  called  upon  Major  Anderson  to  surrender.  Upon 
his  refusal,  fire  was  opened  from  all  the  Confederate  forts  and 
batteries.*  This  "  strange  contest  between  seventy  men  and 
seven  thousand,"  lasted  for  thirty-four  hours,  no  one  being 
hurt  on  either  side.  The  barracks  having  been  set  on  fire  by 

April  15, 1865.  His  father  was  unable  to  read  or  write.  Abraham's  education  consisted 
of  one  year's  schooling.  When  he  was  eight  years  old  his  father  moved  to  Indiana, 
the  family  floating  down  the  Ohio  on  a  raft.  When  nineteen  years  of  age  the  future 
President  hired  out  as  a  hand  on  a  flat-boat  at  $10  per  month,  and  made  a  trip  to  New 
Orleans.  On  his  return  he  accompanied  the  family  to  Illinois,  driving  the  cattle  on 
the  journey,  and  on  reaching  their  destination  helped  them  to  build  a  cabin,  and  to 
split  rails  to  enclose  the  farm.  He  was  now  in  succession  a  flat-boat  hand,  clerk, 
captain  of  a  company  of  volunteers  in  the  Black  Hawk  War,  country  store-keeper, 
postmaster,  and  surveyor,  yet  he  managed  to  get  a  knowledge  of  law  by  borrowing 
books  at  an  office,  before  it  closed  at  night,  and  returning  them  at  its  opening 
in  the  morning.  On  oeing  admitted  to  the  bar,  he  rapidly  rose  to  distinction.  At 
twenty-five  he  was  sent  to  the  Legislature,  and  was  thrice  re-elected.  Turning  his 
attention  to  politics,  he  soon  became  a  leader.  He  was  sent  to  C  ongrcss ;  he  can- 
vassed the  State,  haranguing  the  people  daily  on  great  national  questions ;  and,  in 
1858,  he  was  candidate  for  Senator,  a  second  time,  against  Stephen  A.  Douglas.  The 
two  rivals  stumped  the  State  together.  The  debate,  unrivalled  for  its  statesmanship, 
logic,  and  wit,  won  for  Lincoln  a  national  reputation.  He  lost  the  election  in  the 
Legislature,  as  his  party  was  in  the  minority.  After  his  accession  to  the  Presidency, 
his  history,  like  Washington's,  is  identified  with  that  of  his  country.  He  was  a  tall,  un- 
gainly man,  little  versed  in  the  refinements  of  society,  but  gifted  by  nature  with 
great  common  sense,  and  everywhere  known  as  "Honest  Abe."  Kind,  earnest, 
sympathetic,  faithful,  democratic,  he  was  only  anxious  to  serve  his  country.  His 
wan,  fatigued  face,  and  his  bent  form,  told  of  the  cares  he  bore,  and  the  grief  he  felt. 
His  only  relief  was  when  tossing  aside  for  a  moment  the  heavy  load  of  responsibil- 
ity, his  face  would  light  up  with  a  hnmorsome  smile,  while  he  narrated  some 
incident  whose  aptness  to  the  subject  at  hand,  and  irresistible  wit,  convulsed  his 
hearers,  and  rendered  "  Lincoln's  stories  "  household  words  throughout  the  nation, 
*  The  first  gun  of  the  war  was  fired  at  half-past  four  o'clock  Friday  morning, 
April  18,  1861. 


1861.]  EPOCH    V.  217 

the  shells,  the  garrison  worn  out,  suffocated,  and  half-blinded, 
were  forced  to  capitulate.  They  were  allowed  to  retire  with 
the  honors  of  war,  saluting  their  flag  before  hauling  it  down. 

The  Effect  of  this  event  was  electrical.  It  unified  the 
North  and  also  the  South.  The  war  spirit  swept  over  the 
country  like  wild-fire.  Party  lines  vanished.  The  Union 
men  ^t  the  South  were  borne  into  secession.  The  republicans 
and  democrats  at  the  North  combined  for  the  support  of  the 
government.  Lincoln  issued  a  requisition  for  seventy-five 
thousand  troops.  It  was  responded  to  by  three  hundred  thou- 
sand volunteers.  The  American  flag,  the  symbol  of  Eevolu- 
tionary  glory  and  of  national  unity,  was  everywhere  unfurled. 
The  best  men  of  the  nation  were  eager  to  enlist.  The  military 
enthusiasm  at  the  South  was  equally  ardent.  Virginia,  Ar- 
kansas, North  Carolina,  and  Tennessee,  which  had  before 
hesitated,  joined  the  Confederacy.  Virginia  troops  seized  the 
United  States  armory  at  Harper's  Ferry,  and  the  Navy  Yard 
at  Norfolk.*  Eichmond,  Va,,  was  made  the  Confederate  capi- 
tal. Troops  from  the  extreme  South  were  rapidly  pushed  into 
Virginia,  and  threatened  Washington.  A  regiment  of  Massa- 
chusetts militia  hurrying  to  the  defence  of  the  national  capital, 
was  attacked  in  the  streets  of  Baltimore,  and  several  men 
were  killed,  f  Thus  the  first  blood  shed  in  the  civil  war  was 
on  April  19,  the  anniversary  of  Lexington  and  Concord. 

THE    WAR    IN   VIRGINIA. 
Arlington  Heights  and  Alexandria^  were  seized  (May  24) 

*  Here  were  foundries,  ship-yards,  machine  shops,  two  thousand  cannon,  two 
hundred  and  fifty  thousand  pounds  of  gunpowder,  great  quantities  of  shot  and  shell, 
and  twelve  ships  of  war.  The  ships  were  scuttled  or  fired,  but  vast  stores,  which 
were  of  inestimable  value  at  the  beginning  of  the  war,  fell  into  the  Confederate 
hands. 

t  A  Union  soldier  who  was  shot  in  this  affray,  turned  about,  saluted  the  flag,  and 
exclaiming,  "  All  hail  the  stars  and  stripes  1"  fell  lifeless. 

$  Alexandria  was  occupied  by  Colonel  Elmer  E.  Ellsworth  and  his  Zouavee. 


218  UNITED     STATES     HISTOBT.  [1861. 

by  the  national  troops.  This  protected  Washington  from  any 
immediate  danger  of  attack.*  Fortress  Monroef  was  now 
garrisoned  by  a  heavy  force  under  General  B.  F.  Butler.J  An 
expedition  made  soon  after  against  Big  Bethel  was  singularly 
mismanaged.  The  troops  fired  into  each  other  by  mistake 
on  the  route.  After  a  gallant  attack  upon  the  Confederate 
defences,  they  were  repulsed  with  loss.§ 

Western  Virginia  adhered  to  the  Union,  and  was  ulti- 
mately formed  into  a  separate  State.  The  Confederates,  how- 
ever, occupied  it  in  force.  The  Federals,  under  General 
George  B.  McClellan,  afterward  commander  of  the  Potomac 
army,  -defeated  them  at  PJiilippi,  Rich  Mountain,  and  Car- 
ride's  Ford,  thus  wresting  the  entire  State  from  their  con- 
trol Shortly  afterward,  Governor  Wise  and  General  Floyd 
(President  Buchanan's  Secretary  of  War)  led  a  Confederate 
force  into  that  region ;  but  Floyd  was  suddenly  attacked  by 
General  Kosecrans  at  Carnifex  Ferry,  and  Wise  failing  to  sup- 
port him,  he  was  compelled  to  retreat  General  Eobert  E. 
Lee,  McClellan's  future  antagonist  on  the  Potomac,  having 
been  repulsed  at  Cheat  Mountain  (September  14),  now  came 
to  the  rescue.  Nothing  decisive  being  effected,  the  Confed- 
erate government  recalled  their  forces.  The  only  Union  vic- 
tories of  this  year  were  achieved  in  this  region. 

After  the  capture,  seeing  the  Confederate  flag  etill  flying  from  the  roof  of  a  hotel,  he 
went  up  and  tore  it  down.  As  he  descended,  he  was  shot  at  the  foot  of  the  stairs,  by 
the  landlord,  Jackson,  who  in  turn  fell  at  the  hands  of  private  Brownell. 

*  Alexandria  is  on  the  southern  side  of  the  Potomac,  eight  miles  below  Washing- 
ton. Arlington  Heights  are  directly  opposite  the  capital 

t  This  is  located  at  the  entrance  of  the  Chesapeake,  and  is  the  most  formidable 
fortification  in  the  United  States.  It  covers  sixty  acres  of  ground,  and  is  nearly  a 
mile  in  circuit.  Its  walls  are  of  granite,  thirty-five  feet  high.  Its  garrison,  at  this 
time,  consisted  of  a  small  body  of  artillerists,  under  General  Dimick. 

$  At  Hampton,  from  whence  the  Confederates  under  General  Magruder  were 
driven,  some  negroes  were  captured  who  said  they  had  been  employed  by  the  Con- 
federates in  building  fortifications.  Butler  declared  them  "contraband  of  war." 
This  gave  rise  to  the  popular  term,  "Contrabands." 

§  In  this  attack,  young  Major  Theodore  Winthrop,  who  had  already  achieved  some 
literary  reputation,  waa  killed. 


1861.] 


EPOCH    V. 


219 


Battle  of  Bull  Run  (July  21).— The  Northern  people, 
seeing  so  many  regiments  pushed  forward  to  Washington, 
were  impatient  for  an  advance.  The  cry,  "  On  to  Eichmond !" 
became  too  strong  to  be  resisted.  General  Irvin  McDowell,  in 
command  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  moved  to  attack  the 
main  body  of  the  Confederates  at  Bull  Eun.*  Each  army 
was  about  thirty  thousand  strong.  After  a  sharp  conflict  the 
Confederates  were  driven  from  the  field.  They  were  rallied, 


STONEWALL  JACKSON   AT   BULL  RUN. 


however,  by  General  T.  J.  Jacksonf  and  others  on  a  plateau 
in  the  rear.  While  the  Federal  troops  were  struggling  to 
drive  them  from  this  new  position,  at  the  crisis  of  the  battle, 
seventeen  hundred  men,  under  Kirby  Smith,  rushing  across 

*  This  is  near  Manassas  Junction,  about  twenty-seven  miles  from  Alexandria. 

t  General  Bee,  as  he  rallied  his  men,  shouted,  "  There's  Jackson  standing  like  a 
stone  wall."  "  From  that  time,"  says  Draper,  "  the  name  he  had  received  in  a  bap- 
tism of  fire  displaced  that  he  had  received  in  a  baptism  of  water,  and  he  was  known 
as  '  Stonewall  Jackson.'  " 


220  UNITED    STATES    HISTORY.  [186L 

the  fields  from  Manassas  Station,*  struck  the  Union  flank  and 
poured  in  a  cross  fire.  The  effect  was  irresistible.  McDowell's 
men  fled.  As  the  fugitives  converged  toward  the  bridge  in 
the  rear,  a  shell  burst  among  the  teamsters'  wagons,  a  caisson 
was  overturned,  and  the  passage  choked.  The  retreat  now 
became  a  panic-stricken  rout.  Traces  were  cut,  cannon  aban- 
doned, mounted  men  went  plunging  through  the  struggling 
mass,  and  soldiers  threw  away  their  guns  and  ran  streaming 
over  the  country,  many  never  stopping  till  they  were  safe  over 
the  Long  Bridge  at  Washington. 

The  Effect  of  this  defeat  was  momentous.  At  first  the 
Northern  people  were  chagrined  and  disheartened.  Then 
came  a  renewed  determination.  They  saw  the  real  character 
of  the  war.  They  no  longer  dreamed  that  the  South  could 
be  subdued  by  a  mere  display  of  military  force.  They  were 
to  fight  a  brave  people — Americans — who  were  only  to  be  con- 
quered by  a  desperate  struggle.  Congress  voted  $500,000,000 
and  five  hundred  thousand  men.  General  McClellan,f  upon 
whom  all  eyes  were  turned,  on  account  of  his  brilliant  cam- 
paign in  Western  Virginia,  was  appointed  to  the  command  of 
the  Army  of  the  Potomac. 

Ball's  Bluff  (October  21). — A  reconnoitering  party  of  about 
two  thousand  Federals  having  crossed  the  Potomac  at  Ball's 
Bluff,  they  were  overwhelmed  by  superior  numbers,  and  forced 
down  the  slippery,  clayey  bluff,  fifty  to  one  hundred  and 
fifty  feet  high,  to  the  river  below.  The  two  old  scows  in 
which  they  came  were  soon  sunk,  and,  in  trying  to  escape, 
many  were  drowned,  some  were  shot,  and  scarcely  half  their 


*  These  troops  composed  a  part  of  General  Johnston's  command  at  Winchester. 
General  Patterson,  with  twenty  thousand  men,  had  been  left  to  watch  him,  and  pre- 
vent his  joining  Beauregard.  Johnston  was  too  shrewd  for  his  antagonist,  and, 
slipping  out  of  his  hands,  reached  Bull  Run  in  time  to  decide  the  battle. 

t  Soon  after,  General  Scott,  weighed  down  by  age,  retired  from  aetive  service,  and 
General  McClellan  became  General-in-Chief  of  all  the  armies  of  the  United  States. 


1861.]  EPOCH     V.  221 

number  reached  the  other  bank.    Colonel  Baker,  United  States 
Senator  from  Oregon,  was  among  the  killed.* 

THE    WAR    IN    MISSOURI. 

This  State  was  largely  Union.  The  Convention  had  de- 
clined to  pass  an  ordinance  of  secession;  yet  there  was  a 
strong  effort  made  by  Governor  Jackson  to  preserve,  at  least, 
an  armed  neutrality.  Captain  Lyon  foiled  this  attempt.  He 
broke  up  Camp  Jackson,  saved  the  United  States  arsenal  at 
St.  Louis,  and  defeated  Colonel  Marmaduke  at  Booneville 
(June  17).  General  Sigel  (se-gel),  however,  having  been  de- 
feated by  the  Confederates  in  an  engagement  at  Carthage 
(July  5),  Lyon,  now  General,  found  that  he  must  either  fight 
the  superior  forces  of  Generals  McCulloch  and  Price,  or  else 
abandon  that  part  of  the  State.  He  chose  the  former  course. 
At  the  head  of  about  five  thousand  he  attacked  more  than 
twice  that  number  at  Wilson's  Creek  (August  10).  He  fell, 
gallantly  leading  a  bayonet  charge.  His  men  were  defeated, 
Colonel  Mulligan  was  forced  to  surrender  Lexington\  after 
a  brave  defence.  General  John  C.  Fremont  now  assumed 
charge,  and  drove  Price  as  far  south  as  Springfield.  Just  as 
he  was  preparing  for  battle,  he  was  replaced  by  General  Hun- 
ter, who  took  the  Union  army  back  to  St.  Louis.  Hunter  was 
soon  superseded  by  General  Halleck,  who  crowded  Price  south 
to  Arkansas.  Later  in  the  fall,  General  Grant  made  an  un- 
successful attack  upon  a  Confederate  force  which  had  crossed 
over  from  Kentucky^  and  taken  post  at  Belmont. 

'December  20, General E.O.C.Ord, having  gone  out  on  a  foraging  excursion  to 
Dranesville,  in  a  severe  skirmish,  routed  the  Confederates.  This  little  victory  greatly 
encouraged  the  people  at  the  North,  who  had  been  disheartened  by  the  disastrous 
affair  of  Ball's  Bluff. 

t  The  Confederates,  in  their  final  assault,  fought  behind  a  movable  breastwork, 
composed  of  hemp  bales,  which  they  rolled  toward  the  fort  as  they  advanced. 

t  Kentucky,  like  Missouri,  had  tried  to  remain  neutral,  but  was  unsuccessful. 
Soon  both  Confederate  and  Union  troops  were  encamped  on  her  soil,  and  the  State 


222  UNITED     STATES    HISTORY.  [186L 


THE    WAR    ON    THE    SEA    AND    COAST. 

Early  in  the  war,  Davis  issued  a  proclamation  offering  to 
commission  privateers.*  In  reply,  Lincoln  declared  a  block- 
ade of  the  Southern  ports.  At  that  time  there  was  but  one 
efficient  vessel  on  the  Northern  coast,  and  but  forty-two  ships 
in  the  United  States  navy ;  but  at  the  close  of  the  year  there 
were  two  hundred  and  sixty-four. 

Two  joint  naval  and  military  expeditions  were  made  dur- 
ing the  year.  The  first  captured  the  forts  at  Hatteras  Inlet, 
N".  0.  The  second,  under  Commodore  Dupont  and  General 
Thomas  W.  Sherman,  took  the  forts  at  Port  Koyalf  En- 
trance, S.  C.,  and  Tybee  island,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Savan- 
nah. Port  Koyal  became  the  great  depot  for  the  Union 
fleet. 

•  The  Trent  Affair. — England  and  France  had  acknowl- 
edged the  Confederate  States  as  belligerents,  thus  placing 
them  on  the  same  footing  with  the  United  States.  The 
Southern  people  having,  therefore,  great  hopes  of  foreign  aid, 
appointed  Messrs.  Mason  and  Slidell  commissioners  to  those 
countries.  Escaping  through  the  blockading  squadron, 
they  took  passage  at  Havana  on  the  British  steamer  Trent. 
Captain  Wilkes,  of  the  United  States  steamer  San  Jacinto, 

was  ravaged  by  hostile  armies.  In  all  the  horder  States,  affairs  were  in  a  most 
lamentable  condition.  The  people  were  divided  in  opinion,  and  enlisted  in  both 
armies.  As  the  tide  of  war  surged  to  and  fro,  armed  bands  swept  through  the  coun- 
try, plundering  and  murdering  those  who  favored  the  opposite  party. 

*  The  Savannah  was  the  first  privateer  which  got  to  sea,  but  she  was  captured 
after  having  taken  her  first  prize.  The  Petrel,  also  from  Charleston,  bore  down  upon 
the  United  States  frigate  St.  Lawrence,  mistaking  her  for  a  merchant  ship.  When 
too  late,  she  discovered  her  error.  She  received  a  single  broadside  and  sank.  The 
Sumter,  Captain  Semmes,  captured  and  burned  a  large  number  of  American  ships, 
but  the  next  year  was  blockaded  in  the  Bay  of  Gibraltar,  and  had  to  be  sold  to  prevent 
her  falling  into  the  Union  hands. 

t  During  this  engagement  the  ships  described  a  circle  between  the  forts,  each  vessel 
delivering  its  fire  as  it  slowly  sailed  by,  then  passing  on,  and  another  taking  its 
place.  The  line  of  this  circle  was  constantly  changed  to  prevent  the  enemy  from 
getting  the  range  of  the  vessels. 


1861.;)  EPOCH  v.  223 

followed  the  Trent,  took  off  the  Confederate  envoys,  and 
brought  them  back  to  the  United  States.  This  produced 
intense  excitement  in  England.  The  United  States  govern- 
ment, however,  promptly  disavowed  the  act  and  returned  the 
prisoners. 

General  Review  of  the  First  Year  of  the  War.— 
The  Confederates  had  captured  the  large  arsenals  at  Har- 
per's Ferry  and  Norfolk.  They  had  been  successful  in  the 
two  great  battles  of  the  year— Bull  Eun  and  Wilson's  Creek ; 
also  in  the  minor  engagements  at  Big  Bethel,  Carthage,  Lex- 
ington, Belmont,  and  Ball's  Bluff.  The  Federals  had  saved 
Fort  Pickens*  and  Fortress  Monroe,  and  had  captured  the 
forts  at  Hatteras  Inlet  and  Port  Eoyal.  They  had  gained 
the  victories  of  Philippi,  Eich  Mountain,  Booneville,  Car- 
rick's  Ford,  Cheat  Mountain,  Carnifex  Ferry,  and  Dranes- 
ville.  They  had  saved  to  the  Union  Missouri,  Maryland, 
and  West  Virginia.  Principally,  however,  they  had  thrown 
the  whole  South  in  a  state  of  siege — the  armies  on  the  north 
and  west  by  land,  and  the  navy  in  the  east  by  sea,  maintain- 
ing a  vigilant  blockade. 

1862. 

The  Situation.  —  The  national  army  now  numbered 
500,000 ;  the  Confederate,  about  350,000.  During  the  first 
year  there  had  been  random  fighting;  the  war  henceforth 
assumed  a  general  plan.  The  year's  campaign  on  the  part 
of  the  North  had  three  main  objects :  (1)  the  opening  of  the 
Mississippi ;  (2)  the  blockade  of  the  Southern  ports ;  and  (3) 
the  capture  of  Eichmond. 

*  This  fort  was  situated  near  Pensacola.  Lieutenant  Slemmer,  seeing  that  an 
attack  was  about  to  be  made  upon  him,  transferred  his  men  from  Fort  McRae,  an 
untenable  position,  to  Fort  Pickens,  an  almost  impregnable  fortification,  which  ha 
held  until  reinforcements  arrived. 


224 


UNITED    STATES    HISTORY.  [1883 


YIEW   OF   RICHMOND,   VA. 


THE    WAR    IN     THE    WEST. 

The  Confederates  held  a  line  of  defence  with  strongly 
fortified  posts  at  Columbus,  Fort  Henry,  Fort  Donelson, 
Bowling  Green,  Mill  Spring,  and  Cumberland  Gap.  It  was 
determined  to  pierce  this  line  near  the  centre,  along  the 
Tennessee  Eiver.  This  would  compel  the  evacuation  of 
Columbus,  which  was  deemed  impregnable,  and  open  the 
way  to  Nashville. 

Capture  of  Forts  Henry  and  Donelson. — Accord- 
ingly, General  Grant,  with  his  army,  and  Commodore  Foote, 
with  his  gunboats,  moved  from  Cairo  (ka'-ro)  upon  Fort 
Henry.*  A  bombardment  (Feb.  6)  from  the  gunboats  re- 

*  As  a  part  of  the  general  movement,  in  January  General  Thomas  had  advanced 
against  Mill  Spring,  and  on  the  19th  driven  out  the  Confederate  force  at  that  place 
with  the  loss  of  General  Zollicoffer  (tsol'-le-ko-fer),  one  of  their  favorite  leaders. 


1862.J  EPOCH    V.  JJ25 

duced  the  place  in  about  an  hour.  The  land  troops  were  to 
cut  off  the  retreat ;  but  not  arriving  in  time,  the  garrison 
escaped  to  Fort  Donelson.  The  fleet  now  went  back  to  the 
Ohio,  and  ascended  the  Cumberland,  while  Grant  crossed  to 
co-operate  in  an  attack  on  Fort  Donelson.  The  fight  lasted 
three  days.*  The  fleet  was  repulsed  by  the  fire  from  the 
fort,  and  Commodore  Foote  seriously  wounded.  Grant,  hav- 
ing been  reinforced  till  he  had  nearly  thirty  thousand  men, 
defeated  the  Confederates  in  an  attempt  to  cut  their  way 
out,  and  captured  a  part  of  their  intrenchments.  As  lie  was 
about  to  make  the  final  assault,  the  fort  was  surrendered  f 
(Feb.  16),  with  about  fifteen  thousand  men. 

Effect  of  these  Victories. — As  was  expected,  Columbus  and 
Bowling  Green  were  evacuated,  while  General  Buell  at  once 
occupied  Nashville.  The  Confederates  fell  back  to  Corinth, 
the  great  railroad  centre  for  Mississippi  and  Tennessee,  where 
their  forces  were  gradually  collected  under  the  command  of 
Generals  Albert  Sydney  Johnston  and  Beauregard.  The 
Union  army  ascended  the  Tennessee  to  Pittsburg  Landing. 
Grant  was  placed  in  command,  and  General  Buell  ordered  to 
reinforce  him. 

The  next  movement  was  to  secure  the  Memphis  and 
Charleston  railroad,  thus  cutting  off  Memphis  and  securing 
another  section  of  the  Mississippi  River. 

Battle  of  Shiloh  (April  6,  7).— The  Confederates  deter- 
mined to  rout  Grant's  army  before  the  arrival  of  Buell. 
Sunday  morning,  at  daylight,  moving  out  of  the  woods  in 

*  For  four  nights  of  most  inclement  winter  weather,  amid  soow  and  sleet,  with  no 
tents,  shelter,  fire,  and  many  with  no  blankets,  these  hardy  western  troops  main- 
tained their  position.  The  piteous  wail  of  the  wounded  resounded  through  the  bleak 
nights,  but  death  came  to  many  of  them,  who  froze-  as  they  lay  on  the  icy  ground. 

t  When  General  Buckner,  commander  of  the  tort,  wrote  to  General  Grant,  offering- 
capitulation,  Grant  replied  that  no  terms  would  be  accepted  except  an  "  unconditional 
surrender,"  and  that  he  "  proposed  to-  move  immediately  upon  their  works."  These 
expressions  have  been  much  quoted,  and.  U.  S.  Grajjt  bag  beea  ofteu  said  to  signify 
"  Unconditional  Surrender  Gr,an.t.."' 


226  UNITED    STATES    HISTOKY.  [1862, 

line  of  battle,  they  suddenly  fell  on  the  Union  camps.* 
Johnston  had  forty  thousand  and  Grant  thirty-three  thous- 
and men.  On  the  one  side  were  the  Southern  dash,  daring 
and  vigor ;  on  the  other,  the  Northern  firmness  and  determi- 
nation. Surprised,  but  not  panic-stricken,  the  Federals, 
fighting  where  they  happened  to  stand,  slowly  yielded,  and 
for  twelve  hours  obstinately  disputed  every  inch  of  the  way. 
At  last,  pushed  to  the  very  brink  of  the  river,  Grant  massed 
his  artillery,  and  gathered  about  it  the  fragments  of  regi- 
ments for  the  final  stand.  The  Confederates,  to  meet  them, 
had  to  cross  a  deep  ravine,  where,  struggling  through  the 
mud  and  water,  they  melted  away  under  the  fire  of  cannon 
and  musketry  from  above,  and  the  shells  from  the  gunboats 
below.  Few  reached  the  slippery  bank  beyond.  At  the 
same  time  Buell's  advance  came  shouting  on  the  field.  The 
tide  of  battle  was  stayed.  The  Confederates  fell  back.  They 
possessed,  however,  all  the  substantial  fruits  of  victory. 
They  had  taken  the  Union  camps,  three  thousand  prisoners, 
thirty  flags,  and  immense  stores ;  but  they  had  lost  their 
commander,  General  Johnston,  who  fell  in  the  heat  of  the 
action. 

The  next  morning  the  tide  turned.  Buell's  army  had 
come.  Fresh  troops  were  poured  on  the  wearied  Confed- 
erates. Beauregard,  obstinately  resisting,  was  driven  from 
the  field.  He  retreated,  however,  in  good  order,  and,  unmo- 
lested, returned  to  Corinth,  f 

*  The  Federals  were  thoroughly  surprised.  On  the  very  heels  of  the  pickets.  who 
rushed  in  to  give  the  alarm,  came  the  shells,  and  then,  pouring  at  double-quick  from 
the  woods,  the  magnificent  lines  of  battle.  Many,  especially  officers,  had  not  yet 
risen ;  some  were  dressing,  some  washing  or  cooking,  and  a  few  at  breakfast.  Be- 
wildered, half  dressed,  unformed,  they  were  ill  prepared  for  battle. 

t  Their  route  led  through  a  narrow  and  almost  impassable  road,  with  the  mud  and 
water  so  deep  that  at  times  the  water  came  into  the  wagons  wherein  were  crowded 
the  wounded  and  dying  soldiers.  To  add  to  their  distress,  a  pitiless  gleet  set  in, 
turning  to  furious  hail  and  raging  violently  for  three  hours.  Before  Corinth  was 
reached,  three  hundred  men  had  died. 


1862.]  EPOCH    V.  227 

General  Halleck  now  assumed  command,  and  by  slow 
stages  followed  the  Confederates.  Beauregard,  finding  him- 
self outnumbered,  evacuated  Corinth,  and  Halleck  took  pos- 
session (May  30). 

Island  No.  10. — The  Confederates,  on  retreating  from 
Columbus,  fell  back  to  Island  No.  10.*  Here  they  were 
bombarded  by  Commodore  Foote  for  three  weeks,  with  little 
effect.  General  Pope,  crossing  the  Mississippi  f  in  the  midst 
of  a  fearful  storm,  took  the  batteries  on  the  opposite  bank, 
and  prepared  to  attack  the  fortifications  in  the  rear.  The 
garrison,  seven  thousand  strong,  surrendered  (April  7)  the 
very  day  of  the  conflict  at  Shiloh. 

The  Effects  of  the  desperate  battle  at  Shiloh  were  now 
fully  apparent.  J  The  Union  gunboats  moved  down  the 
river  and  (May  10)  defeated  the  Confederate  iron-clad  fleet. 
On  the  evacuation  of  Corinth,  Fort  Pillow  was  abandoned. 
The  gunboats,  proceeding,  destroyed  the  Confederate  flotilla 
in  front  of  Memphis,  took  possession  of  that  city,  and  secured 
the  Memphis  and  Charleston  railroad.  The  great  State  of 
Kentucky  and  all  Western  Tennessee  had  been  wrenched 
from  the  Confederacy.  The  Union  army  §  now  held  a  line 

*  The  islands  in  the  Mississippi  are  numbered  in  order  from  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio 
to  New  Orleans. 

t  Pope,  with  his  army,  was  on  the  Missouri  side  of  the  river. 
He  could  not  cross,  as  the  Confederate  batteries  were  planted 
on  the  opposite  shore.  A  canal  was  therefore  cut  across  Donald- 
son's Point.  It  was  twelve  miles  long  and  fifty  feet  wide.  Part 
of  the  distance  was  through  heavy  timber,  where  the  trees  had 
to  be  cut  off  four  feet  below  the  surface  of  the  water.  Yet  the 
vork  was  accomplished  in  nineteen  days.  Through  this  canal 
steamboats  and  barges  were  safely  transferred  below  the  newly- 
made  island,  while  the  two  largest  gunboats  ran  the  batteries.  DONALDSON'S  POINT 
Under  their  protection  Pope  crossed  the  liver.  AND  ISLAND  NO.  10. 

$  Besides  the  results  here  named,  the  concentration  of  troops  at  Corinth  had  ab- 
sorbed the  troops  from  the  South.  Thus  New  Orleans,  as  we  shall  see  hereafter,  fell 
an  easy  prey  to  Farragut. 

§  General  Halleck  having  been  called  to  Washington  as  General-in-Chief  of  the 
armies  of  the  United  States,  General  Grant  was  appointed  to  the  command  of  this 
army. 


•>-.}S  UXITED    STATES    HISTORY.  [18C2. 

running  from  Memphis,  through  Corinth,  nearly  to  Chatta- 
nooga, toward  which  point  General  Buell  was  steadily  push- 
ing his  troops.  We  shall  next  consider  the  efforts  made  by  the 
Confederates  to  break  through  this  line  of  investment.  At 
this  time  they  were  concentrated  under  Bragg  at  Chatta- 
nooga, Price  at  luka,  and  Van  Dorn  at  Holly  Springs. 

Bragg's  Expedition. — The  first  movement  was  made  by 
General  Bragg.  With  fifty  thousand  men  he  started  for 
Louisville.  General  Buell  fell  back  to  Nashville.  Here  he 
found  out  his  enemy's  plan.  Now  commenced  a  race  between 
them  of  three  hundred  miles.  Buell  came  out  one  day  ahead. 
He  was  heavily  reinforced  to  the  number  of  one  hundred 
thousand  men.  Bragg*  then  fell  back,  Buell  slowly  following. 
At  Perryville  (October  8),  Bragg  fiercely  turned  upon  Buell, 
and  a  desperate  battle  was  fought.  In  the  darkness,  however, 
Bragg  retreated,  and  finally  escaped  with  his  plunder,  which 
filled  a  wagon  train  forty  miles  long.  At  this  juncture  (Octo- 
ber 31),  General  BueU  was  superseded  by  General  Eosecrans. 

Battles  of  luka  and  Corinth  (September  19,  October  4). 
— Every  one  of  Grant's  veterans  who  could  possibly  be  spared 
had  been  sent  north  to  help  Buell.  Price  and  Van  Dorn, 
taking  advantage  of  the  opportunity,  were  manoeuvring  to  get 
possession  of  Corinth.  Grant,  thinking  that  he  could  capture 
Price  and  then  get  back  to  Corinth  before  Van  Dorn  could 
reach  it  from  Holly  Springs,  ordered  Eosecrans  to  move  upon 
luka.  After  a  severe  conflict  (September  19),  Price  escaped. 
Thereupon  the  two  Confederate  generals  joined  their  forces, 
and,  forty  thousand  strong,  attacked  Eosecrans  with  twenty 
thousand  in  his  entrenchments  at  Corinth.  They  exhibited 

*  At  Frankfort,  Bragg  was  joined  by  the  part  of  his  army  under  Kirby  Smith,  who 
•had  marched  from  Knoxville,  routed  a  Union  force  under  General  Manson  at  Rich- 
mond. Ky.,  inflicting  a  loss  of  six  thousand,  and  then  had  moved  north  as  far  as 
Cynthiana,  where  he  threatened  to  attack  Cincinnati,  but  was  repelled  by  the  ex- 
teneive  preparation  made  by  General  Lew  Wallace, 


18G2.]  EPOCH     V.  229 

the  most  brilliant  courage,*  but,  the  Union  army  being  re-en- 
forced, were  defeated,  and  pursued  forty  miles,  with  heavy  loss. 

Battle  of  Murfreesboro  (December  31,  January  2). — 
Rosecrans,  on  assuming  command  of  Buell's  army,  concen- 
trated his  forces  at  Nashville.  Thence  he  marched  to  meet 
Bragg,  who,  with  sixty  thousand  moving  north  on  a  second 
grand  expedition,  had  already  reached  Murfreesboro.  Both 
generals  had  formed  the  same  planf  for  the  approaching  con- 
test As  the  Union  left  was  crossing  Stone  Eiver  to  attack 
the  Confederate  right,  the  strong  Confederate  left  fell  heavily 
on  the  weak  Union  right.  At  first  the  onset  was  irresistible. 
But  Gen.  Sheridan  was  there,  and  by  his  consummate  valor 
held  his  ground  until  Eosecrans  could  recall  the  left,  replant 
his  batteries,  and  establish  a  new  line.  Upon  this  fresh  front 
the  Confederates  charged  four  times,  but  were  driven  back 
with  very  great  loss.  Two  days  after,  Bragg  renewed  the  at- 
tack, but  being  unsuccessful,  retreated.  This  was  one  of  the 
bloodiest  contests  of  the  war.  The  loss  was  one-fourth  of  the 
number  engaged. 

The  Effect  of  this  Battle. — The  attempt  of  the  Confederates 
to  recover  Kentucky  was  now  abandoned.  The  way  was  open 
for  another  Union  advance  on  Chattanooga.  Bragg's  force 
was  reduced  from  an  offensive  to  a  defensive  attitude. 


*  The  Texas  and  Mississippi  troops  made  a  most  heroic  charge  upon  Fort  Robi- 
nette.  They  advanced  to  within  fifty  yards  of  the  intrenchments,  received  a  shower 
of  grape  and  canister  without  flinching,  and  were  only  driven  back  when  the  Ohio 
brigade  poured  a  full  volley  of  musketry  into  their  ranks.  They  were  then  rallied 
by  Colonel  Rogers,  of  the  Second  Texas,  who,  at  their  head,  led  them  to  a  fresh 
charge  up  through  the  abattis,  when,  with  the  colors  in  his  hand,  he  sprang  upon 
the  embankment  and  cheered  on  his  men.  An  instant  more  and  he  fell,  with  five 
brave  fellows  who  had  dared  to  leap  to  his  side  in  this  desperate  assault.  The  Union 
troops  admiringly  buried  his  remains,  and  neatly  rounded  off  the  little  mound  where 
they  laid  the  hero  to  rest. 

t  This  coincidence  reminds  one  of  the  battle  of  Camden  (see  p.  133).  The  plan  was 
to  mass  the  strength  on  the  left,  and  with  that  to  fall  upon  and  crush  the  enemy's 
right.  The  advantage  clearly  lay  with  the  army  which  struck  first.  Bragg  secured 
the  initiative,  and  Rosecrans's  only  course  was  to  give  up  all  thought  of  an  attack 
and  to  save  his  right  and  centre  from  a  rout. 


230  UNITED    STATES    HISTOBY. 

First  Vicksburg  Expedition. — While  Rosecrans  was 
busy  repelling  this  advance  of  Bragg,  an  expedition  against 
Vicksburg  had  been  planned  by  Grant.  He  was  to  move 
along  tha  Mississippi  Central  Railroad,  while  Sherman  was  to 
descend  the  river  from  Memphis  with  the  gunboats  under 
Porter.  In  the  mean  time,  however,  by  a  brilliant  cavalry 
dash,  Van  Dorn  destroyed  Grant's  depot  of  supplies  at  Holly 
Springs.  This  spoiled  the  whole  plan.  Sherman,  ignorant  of 
what  had  happened,  pushed  on,  landed  on  the  Yazoo  River, 
and  made  an  attack  at  Chickasaw  Bayou  (bi-o),  north  of 
Vicksburg.  After  suffering  a  bloody  repulse,  and  learning  of 
Grant's  misfortune,  he  fell  back.  On  his  return,  he  captured 
Arkansas  Post  (January  11, 1863).  This  closed  the  campaign 
of  1862  on  the  Mississippi  River. 

The  War  in  Missouri. — In  February,  General  Curtis 
pushed  General  Price  out  of  Missouri  into  Arkansas.  The 
Confederates,  by  great  exertion,  increased  their  army  to  twenty 
thousand — General  Van  Dorn  now  taking  command.  Gen- 
eral Curtis,  in  a  desperate  battle,  totally  defeated  him  at  Pea 
Ridge*  (March  7,  8).  During  the  rest  of  the  war  no  import- 
ant battles  were  fought  in  this  State,  f 

THE    WAR    ON    THE    SEA    AND    THE    COAST. 

Capture  of  New  Orleans  (April  25). — The  effort  to 
open  the  Mississippi  was  not  confined  to  the  north.  Early  in 

*  Some  four  or  five  thousand  Indians  had  joined  the  Confederate  army,  and  took 
part  in  this  battle.  They  were  difficult  to  manage,  says  Pollard,  in  the  deafening 
roar  of  the  artillery,  which  drowned  their  loudest  war-whoops.  They  were  amazed 
at  the  sight  of  guns  which  ran  around  on  wheels.  They  were  annoyed  by  the  falling 
of  the  trees  behind  which  they  took  shelter.  In  a  word,  their  main  service  was  in 
consuming  rations. 

t  The  next  year,  Quantrell,  a  noted  guerrilla,  with  three  hundred  men,  entered 
Lawrence,  Kansas,  plundered  the  bank,  burned  houses,  and  murdered  one  hundred 
and  forty  persons.  Before  a  sufficient  force  could  be  gathered,  he  escaped. 


EPOCH    V.  231 

the  spring,  Captain  Farragut,  with  a  fleet  of  forty-four  vessels, 
carrying  eight  thousand  troops  under  General  Butler,  at- 
tempted the  capture  of  New  Orleans,  which  commands  the 
mouth  of  the  river.  The  mortar-boats,*  anchored  along  the 
bank  under  the  shelter  of  the  woods,  threw  thirteen-inch  shells 
into  Forts  Jackson  and  St.  Philip  for  six  days  and  nights,  with 
little  effect.  Farragut  then  boldly  resolved  to  carry  the  fleet 
past  the  defences  to  New  Orleans.  A  chain  supported  on 
hulks  and  stretched  across  the  river  closed  the  channel.  An 
opening  broad  enough  to  admit  the  passage  of  the  gunboats  f 
having  been  cut  through  this  obstruction,  at  three  o'clock 
in  the  morning  (April  24)  they  advanced,  and  poured  grape 
and  canister  into  the  forts  at  short  range,  receiving  in  return 
heavy  volleys  from  the  forts  and  batteries  on  shore.  After 
running  a  fearful  gauntlet  of  shot,  shell,  and  the  flames  of 
fire-rafts,  they  next  encountered  the  Confederate  fleet  of  thir- 
teen armed  steamers,  including  the  steam-battery  Louisiana 
and  the  iron-plated  ram  Manassas.  After  a  desperate  struggle 
twelve  of  the  Confederate  flotilla  were  destroyed.  The  fleet 
then  steamed  up  to  New  Orleans,!  which  lay  helpless  under 

*  To  conceal  the  vessels,  they  were  dressed  out  with  leafy  branches,  which,  except 
by  close  observation,  rendered  them  undistinguishable  from  the  green  woods.  The 
direction  had  been  accurately  calculated,  so  that  the  gunners  did  not  need  to  see  the 
points  toward  which  they  were  to  aim.  So  severe  was  the  bombardment  that  '•  win- 
dows at  the  Balize,  thirty  miles  distant,  were  broken.  Fish,  stunned  by  the  explo- 
sion, lay  floating  on  the  surface  of  the  water." 

t  The  vessels  were  made  partly  iron-clad  by  looping  two  layers  of  chain  cables 
over  their  sides,  and  their  engines  were  protected  by  bags  of  sand,  coal,  etc. 

t  Vast  quantities  of  cotton,  steamers,  ships,  etc.,  were  burned  by  the  order  of  the 
governor  of  Louisiana,  and  the  military  commander  of  the  Confederate  States,  to 
prevent  their  falling  into  Federal  hands.  Pollard  says :  "  No  sooner  had  the  Federal 
fleet  turned  the  point  and  come  within  sight  of  the  city,  than  the  work  of  destruction 
commenced.  Vast  columns  of  smoke  darkened  the  face  of  heaven  and  obscured  the 
noonday  sun ;  for  five  miles  along  the  levee  fierce  flames  darted  through  the  lurid 
atmosphere.  Great  ships  and  steamers  wrapped  in  fire  floated  down  the  river, 
threatening  the  Federal  vessels  with  destruction.  Fifteen  thousand  baTes  of  cotton, 
worth  one  million  and  a  half  of  dollars,  were  consumed.  About  a  dozen  large  river 
steamboats,  twelve  or  fifteen  ships,  a  great  floating  battery,  several  unfinished  gun- 
boats, the  immense  ram  Mississippi,  and  the  docks  on  the  other  side  of  the  river, 
were  all  embraced  in  the  fiery  sacrifice.11 


233 


UNITED    STATES    HISTORY. 


[18621 


EW   ORLEANS. 


the  Union  guns.  The  forts  being  now  threatened  in  the  rear 
by  the  army,  soon  surrendered.  Captain  Farragut  afterward 
ascended  the  river,  taking  possession  of  Baton  Eouge  and 
Natchez,  and,  running  the  batteries  at  Vicksburg,  joined  the 
Union  fleet  above. 

Burnside's  Expedition  against  Roanoke  Island* 
was  an  important  step  toward  the  enforcement  of  the  blockade. 
The  Confederate  forts  were  captured,  and  the  fleet  destroyed. 
Newbern — an  important  seaport — Elizabeth  City,  and,  finally, 
Fort  Macon,  at  the  entrance  to  Beaufort  harbor,  were  taken. 
Thus  all  the  coast  of  North  Carolina,  with  its  intricate  net- 
work of  water  communication,  fell  into  the  Union  hands. 

*  Roanoke  Island,  the  scene  of  Raleigh's  colonization  scheme,  was  the  key  to  all 
the  rear  defences  of  Norfolk.  "  It  unlocked  two  sounds,  eight  rivers,  four  canals, 
and  two  railroads."  It  controlled  largely  the  transmission  of  supplies  to  that  region, 
afforded  an  excellent  harbor  and  a  convenient  rendezvous  for  ships,  and  exposed  a 
large  country  to  attack. 


EPOCH  v.  233 

Florida  and  Georgia  Expeditions. — After  its  cap- 
ture in  the  autumn  of  1861,  Port  Eoyal  became  the  base  of 
operations  against  Florida  and  Georgia.  Fernandina,  Fort 
Clinch,  Jacksonville,  Darien,  and  St.  Augustine,  were  taken. 
Fort  Pulaski,  also,  was  reduced  after  a  severe  bombardment, 
and  thus  the  port  of  Savannah  was  closed.  At  the  end  of  the 
year  every  city  of  the  Atlantic  sea-coast,  except  Savannah, 
Charleston,  and  Mobile,  was  held  by  the  Federal  armies. 

The  Merrimac  and  the  Monitor. — About  noon, 
March  8,  the  long-looked-for  ir,on-clad  Merrimac,*  convoyed  by 
a  fleet  of  small  vessels,  steamed  into  Hampton  Koads.  Steering 
directly  for  the  sloop-of-war  Cumberland,  whose  terrific  broad- 
sides glanced  harmlessly  "  like  so  many  peas  "  from  the  Merri- 
mac's  iron  roof,  she  struck  her  squarely  with  her  iron  beak,  mak- 
ing a  hole  large  enough  for  a  man  to  enter.  The  Cumber- 
land, with  all  on  board,  went  down.f  Warned  by  the  fate  of 
his  companion,  the  captain  of  the  frigate  Congress  ran  his  ves- 
sel ashore,  but  the  Merrimac,  taking  a  position  astern,  deliber- 
ately fired  shells  into  her  till  the  helpless  crew  were  forced  to 
surrender.  At  sunset,  the  Merrimac  returned  to  Norfolk, 
awaiting,  the  next  day,  an  easy  victory  over  the  rest  of  the 
Union  fleet  All  was  delight  and  anticipation  among  the 
Confederates ;  all  was  dismay  and  dismal  foreboding  among  the 
Federals.  That  night  the  Monitor];  arrived  in  harbor.  Though 

*  When  the  navy-yard  at  Norfolk  was  piven  up,  the  steam-frigate  Merrimac,  the 
finest  in  the  service,  was  scuttled.  The  Confederates  afterward  raised  her,  razeSd 
her  deck,  and  fitted  her  with  an  iron  prow,  and  a  sloping  iron  roof.  Thus  prepared, 
she  looked  not  unlike  a  great  house  sunk  in  the  water  to  the  eaves.  It  was  known 
that  she  was  preparing,  and  her  coming  was  eagerly  expected. 

+  As  the  Cumberland  sank,  her  crew  continued  to  work  their  guns  until  the  ves« 
sel  plunged  heneath  the  sea.  Her  flag  was  never  struck,  hut  floated  above  the  water 
from  her  mast-head  after  she  had  gone  down. 

J  This  "Yankee  cheese-box,"  as  it  was  nicknamed  at  the  time,  was  the  invention 
of  Captain  Ericsson.  It  was  a  hull,  with  the  deck  a  few  inches  above  the  water,  and  in 
the  centre  a  curious  round  tower  made  to  slowly  revolve  by  steam-power,  thus  turn- 
ing the  two  guns  it  contained  in  every  direction.  The  upper  part  of  the  hull,  which 
was  exposed  to  the  enemy's  fire,  projected  several  feet  beyond  the  lower  part,  and 


234  UNITED    STATES    HISTORY.  [1882. 

of  but  nine  hundred  tons  burden,  she  prepared  to  meet  her  ad- 
versary of  five  thousand.  Early  in  the  morning  the  Merrimac 
appeared,  moving  toward  the  steam-frigate  Minnesota.  Sud- 
denly, from  under  her  lee,  the  little  Monitor  darted  out,  and 
hurled  at  the  monster  two  one  hundred  and  sixty-eight  pound 

balls.     Startled  by  the 
~  =  _       appearance  of  this  un- 
expected and   queer- 
:    looking  antagonistic 
Merrimac  poured  in  a 
broadside,  such  as  the 
night  before  had  de- 
stroyed the  Congress, 
but  the  balls  rattled 

harmlessly  off  the  Monitor's  turret,  or  broke  and  fell  in 
pieces  on  the  deck.  Then  began  the  battle  of  the  iron  ships. 
It  was  the  first  of  the  kind  in  the  world.  Close  against  each 
other,  iron  rasping  on  iron,  they  exchanged  their  heaviest  vol- 
leys. Five  times  the  Merrimac  tried  to  run  down  the  Mon- 
itor, but  her  huge  beak  only  grated  over  the  iron  deck,  while 
the  Monitor  glided  out  unharmed.  Despairing  of  doing  any- 
thing with  her  doughty  little  antagonist,  the  Merrimac  now 
steamed  back  to  Norfolk.* 

TJie  Effect  of  this  contest  can  hardly  be  overestimated. 
Had  the  Merrimac  triumphed,  aided  by  other  iron  vessels 
then  being  prepared  by  the  Confederacy,  she  might  have 
destroyed  the  rest  of  the  Union  fleet  in  Hampton  Eoads, 
reduced  Fortress  Monroe,  prevented  the  Peninsular  campaign 


was  made  of  thick  white  oak,  covered  with  iron  plating  six  inches  thick  on  the  sides 
and  two  inches  on  deck. 

*  As  she  drew  off  she  hurled  a  last  shot,  which,  striking  the  Monitor's  pilot-house, 
broke  a  bar  of  iron  nine  by  twelve  inches,  seriously  injuring  the  eyes  of  the  gallant 
commander,  Lieutenant  Worden,  who  was  at  that  moment  looking  out  through  a 
narrow  slit  and  directing  the  fire  of  his  guns. 


1862.]  EPOCH    V  235 

(see  below),  steamed  up  the  Potomac  and  terrified  the  capital, 
sailed  along  the  coast  and  broke  up  the  blockade,  swept 
through  the  shipping  at  New  York,  opened  the  way  for  foreign 
supplies,  made  an  egress  for  cotton,  and  perhaps  secured  tho 
acknowledgment  of  the  Confederacy  by  European  nations 
On  this  battle  hinged  the  fate  of  the  war.* 


THE   WAR    IN    THE    EAST. 

The  Peninsular  Campaign. — Richmond  was  here  the 
objective  point.  It  being  decided  to  make  the  advance  by 
way  of  the  Peninsula,  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  was  carried 
downf  the  river  from  Washington  in  transports.  Landing  at 
Fortress  Monroe  about  one  hundred  thousand  strong  (April  4), 
they  marched  toward  Yorktown. 

Siege  of  Yorktown. — At  this  place,  General  Magruder, 
with  only  about  five  thousand  men,  by  his  masterly  skill 
maintained  so  bold  a  front  along  a  line  thirteen  miles  in 
length,  that  McClellan  was  brought  to  a  stop.  Heavy  guns 
were  ordered  from  Washington,  and  a  regular  siege  begun. 
As  McClellan  was  ready  to  open  fire,  Magruder,  having  de- 
layed the  Union  army  a  month,  quietly  retired.^  When  the 

*  The  story  of  this  conflict  spread  over  the  globe.  Tt  seemed  to  give  the  death- 
stroke  to  wooden  war  vessels.  The  monitor  system  not  only  presented  the  Union  with 
a  vessel  which  could  cope  with  all  the  other  Confederate  iron-clads,  render  the 
blockade  more  efficient,  bombard  forts,  and  protect  the  coast  against  all  fear  of  for- 
eign invasion,  but  it  rendered  the  United  States  the  most  formidable  naval  power  in 
the  world. 

t  Previous  to  this  (March  10),  McClellan  made  an  advance  toward  Manassas,  where 
the  Confederates  had  remained  intrenched  since  McDowell's  defeat.  The  fortifica- 
tions, which  were  evacuated  on  his  approach,  were  found  to  be  quite  insignificant, 
and  to  be  mounted  partly  with  "Quaker  guns,"  i.  e.,  logs  shaped  and  painted  to  imi- 
tate artillery.  This  incident  excited  much  ridicule  through  the  country. 

J  On  the  evacuation  of  Yorktown— the  Confederate  forces  being  concentrated  for 
the  defence  of  Richmond— Norfolk  was  abandoned,  the  Navy  Yard  burned,  and  the 
Merrimac,  the  pride  of  the  South,  blown  tip.  United  States  troops  from  Fortress 
Monroe  took  possession  of  the  city,  and  gunboats  sailed  up  James  River  as  far  aa 
Fort  Darling.  Here  a  plunging  fire  from  the  bluff  forbade  further  advance. 


236 


UNITED    STATES    HISTOEY. 


[1862. 


MAP   OF   THE   PENINSULA. 


movement  was  discovered,   a  vigorous    pursuit    was    com- 
menced. 

Battle  of  Williamslurg  (May  5).— The  Confederate  rear- 
guard, now  reinforced  from  Johnston's*  army  at  Richmond, 
stopped  in  the  forts  at  Williamsburg  to  gain 
time  for  the  baggage  train,  and  a  fierce  battle 
at  once  ensued. 
General  Hooker, 
"Fighting  Joe," 
with  his  divi- 
sion, maintain- 
ed the  contest 
for  nine  hours. 
Other  troops  at 
2^3  last  arrived  on 
the  bloody  field, 
the  works  were  carried  by  assault,  and  the  pursuit  continued 
to  within  seven  miles  of  Richmond. 

Richmond  Threatened. — There  was  a  great  panic  in  the 
city,  and  the  Confederate  Congress  hastily  adjourned.  Every- 
thing looked  like  an  immediate  attack,  when  McClellan  dis- 
covered that  a  Confederate  force  was  at  Hanover  Court  House. 
This  threatened  his  communications  by  rail  with  White  House 
Landing,  and  also  with  General  McDowell,  who,  with  thirty 
thousand  men,  was  marching  from  Fredericksburg  to  join  him. 
General  Fitz  John  Porter,  after  a  sharp  skirmish,  captured 
Hanover  Court  House.  The  army  looked  now  hourly  for 
McDowell's  aid  in  the  approaching  great  contest.  "  McClel- 
lan's  last  orders  at  night  were  that  McDowell's  signals  were 
to  be  watched  for,  and  without  delay  reported  to  him."  But 

*  This  was  General  Joseph  E.  Johnston,  who  so  unexpectedly  brought  his  men  to 
take  part  in  the  battle  of  Bull  Run  (p.  220).  He  was  -wounded  in  the  battle  of  Seven 
Pines,  but  appeared  again  in  two  campaigns  against  Sherman  (pp.  257, 272).  General 
Albert  Sydney  Johnston  was  killed  in  the  battle  of  Shiloh  (p.  226). 


EPOCH  v.  237 

General  Johnston  was  too  shrewd  to  permit  this  conjunction. 
He  accordingly  ordered  General  Jackson  to  move  up  the 
Shenandoah  Valley  and  threaten  Washington. 

Jackson  in  the  Shenandoah. — Stonewall  Jackson  being  re- 
inforced by  General  Swell's  division  of  ten  thousand  men, 
hurried  down  the  valley  after  Banks  at  Strasburg.  The  Union 
troops  fell  back,  and  by  the  most  tremendous  exertions — 
"  marching  thirty-five  miles  in  a  single  day " — succeeded  in 
escaping  across  the  Potomac.  Great  was  the  consternation  in 
Washington.  The  President  took  military  possession  of  all 
the  railroads.  The  governors  of  the  Northern  States  were 
called  upon  to  send  militia  to  the  defence  of  the  capital. 
Fremont  at  Franklin,  Banks  at  Harper's  Ferry,  and  McDowell 
at  Fredericksburg,  were  ordered  to  capture  Jackson.  It  was 
high  tune  for  this  dashing  leader  to  be  alarmed.  He  rapidly 
retreated,  burning  the  bridges  as  he  passed.  Fremont 
brought  him  to  bay  at  Cross  Keys*  (June  8),  but  was 
hurled  off.  Shields  struck  at  him  at  Port  Republic,  the  next 
day,  but  was  driven  back  five  miles,  while  Jackson  made  good 
his  escape  from  the  Shenandoah  valley,  having  burned  the 
bridges  behind  him.f 

The  effect  of  this  adroit  movement  was  evident.  With 
fifteen  thousand  men,  Jackson  had  occupied  the  attention  of 
three  major-generals  and  sixty  thousand  men,  prevented 

*  In  the  skirmishing  preceding  this  action,  General  Ashby,  a  Confederate  cavalry 
officer,  was  killed.  He  was  an  accomplished  and  dashing  leader.  He  is  said  to  have 
At  one  time  cut  his  way  through  three  hundred  men  and  returned,  having  seized  their 
flag  with  his  own  hand  and  captured  many  prisoners.  "His  life,"  says  Pollard, 
"  was  a  beautiful  poem,  a  legacy  to  his  countrymen." 

t  When  the  Federal  forces  took  possession  of  the  bridge  over  the  Shenandoah, 
Jackson  and  his  staff  were  on  the  south  side,  his  army  being  on  the  north  side.  It  is 
said  that  "he  rode  toward  the  bridge,  and  rising  in  his  stirrups,  called  sternly  to  the 
Federal  officer  commanding  the  artillery  placed  to  sweep  it :  '  Who  ordered  you  to 
post  that  gun  there,  sir  ?  Bring  it  over  here !'  The  bewildered  officer  bowed, 
limbered  up  his  piece,  and  actually  prepared  to  move.  Jackson  and  his  staff  seized ' 
the  lucky  moment  and  dashed  across  the  bridge  before  the  gun  could  be  brought  to 
bear  with  any  effect  upon  them." 


238  UXITED    STATES    HISTORY. 

McDowell's  junction,  alarmed  Washington,  and  saved  Rich- 
mond. 

Battle  of  Fair  Oaks  (May  31,  June  1).— While  these  stir- 
ring events  had  been  going  on  in  the  Shenandoah  Valley, 
McClellan  had  pushed  his  left  wing  across  the  Chickahominy. 
A  terrible  storm  had  flooded  the  swamps,  turned  the  roads  to 
mud,  and  converted  the  Chickahominy  Creek  into  a  broad 
river.  Johnston  seized  the  opportunity  to  fall  with  tremen- 
dous force  upon  the  exposed  wing.  At  first,  the  Confederates 
swept  all  before  them,  but  General  Sumner 'throwing  his 
men  across  the  tottering  bridges  over  the  Chickahominy, 
checked  the  column  which  was  trying  to  seize  the  bridges 
and  thus  separate  the  two  portions  of  the  army.  General 
Johnston  was  severely  wounded.  Xight  put  an  end  to  the 
contest.  In  the  morning,  the  Confederates  renewed  the  at- 
tack, but  the  loss  of  their  general  was  fatal,  and  they  were 
repulsed  in  great  disorder. 

The  Union  Army  Checked. —  General  Lee,*  who  now 
took  command  of  the  Confederate  army,  was  anxious  to  as- 
sume the  offensive.  General  Stuart  led  off  (June  12)  with  a 
bold  cavalry  raid,  in  which  he  seized  and  burned  supplies 
along  the  railroad  leading  to  White  House,  made  the  entire 
circuit  of  the  Union  army,  and  returned  to  Richmond  in 
safety.  McClellan  also  meditated  ah  advance,  and  Hooker 
had  pushed  his  pickets  within  sight  of  the  Richmond  steeples. 
At  this  moment,  there  came  news  of  the  "  same  apparition 
which  had  frightened  Banks"  in  the  Shenandoah.  Stonewall 
Jackson  had  appeared  near  Hanover  Court  House,  and  threat- 
ened the  Union  communications  with  White  House.  There 


*  Robert  Edward  Lee  was  born  in  Statford,  Virginia,  Jan.  19, 1807 ;  died  in  Lexing- 
ton, Oct.  12,  1870.  His  father,  General  Henry  Lee.  was  the  celebrated  "  Light-horse 
Harry''  of  Revolutionary  feme.  Robert  early  evinced  a  love  for  a  military  life,  and 
during  his  West  Point  course  became  noted  for  his  devotion  to  his  studies.  In  the 
Mexican  war  he  was  General  Scott's  chief  engineer,  and  was  thrice  breveted  for  his 
services.  When  Virginia  seceded,  he  threw  in  his  fortunes  with  his  native  State, 
although  General  Scott  had  already  intimated  his  intention  of  nominating  him  as  his 


1862.] 


EPOCH    V. 


239 


was  no  longer  any  thought  of  moving  on  Eichmond.  Hooker 
was  recalled.  McClellan  resolved  to  "change  his  base"  of 
supply  from  the  York  Kiver  to  the  James. 

The  Seven  Days'  Battles.  —  The  very  morning  McClel- 
lan came  to  this  decision,  and  ere  the  flank  movement  had 
commenced,  Lee,  massing  his  strength  on  his  left,  fell  upon 
the  Union  right  at  Mechanicsvitte  (June  26).  Having  re- 
pulsed this  attack,  at  dawn  the  troops  retired  to  Gaines's 
Mitt,  where  by  the  most  desperate  exertions  Porter  held  the 
bridges  across  the  Chick- 
ahominy  until  night,  and 
.then,  burning  them,  with- 
drew to  the  south  bank. 
That  night  (June  28)  Lee 
detected  McClellan's  move- 
ment, and  instantly  started 
columns  along  the  roads 
that  intersected  the  line  of 
retreat.  Magruder  struck 
the  Federal  flank  (June  29) 
at  Savage's  Station.  The 
Union  troops  maintained 
their  position  till  night,  and 
then  continued  the  movement  Longstreet  and  Hill  en- 
countered the  line  of  march  as  it  was  passing  Frazier's 
Farm  (June  30),  but  could  not  break  it.  During  the  dark- 
ness, the  Union  troops,  worn  out  by  the  constant  marching  or 
fighting  and  the  terrible  heat  and  dust,  collected  at  Malvern. 


GENERAL   ROBERT   E.    LEI 


successor.  Lee  was  immediately  appointed  major-general  of  the  Virginia  forces, 
and  was  soon  after  designated  to  fortify  Richmond.  The  magnificent  strategy  he 
displayed  in  the  Seven  Days'  fight  made  "  Uncle  Robert,"  as  he  was  familiarly  called, 
the  most  trusted  of  the  Confederate  leaders.  For  three  years  he  baffled  every  attempt 
to  take  Richmond,  which  fell  only  with  the  government  of  which  it  was  the  capital, 
and  the  army  and  general  which  were  Us  defence.  General  Lee  was  handsome  in 
face  and  figure,  a  graceful  rider,  grave  and  silent  in  deportment— just  the  bearing  to 
captivate  a  soldier ;  while  his  deep  piety,  truth,  sincerity,  and  honesty  won  the 
hearts  of  all 


240  '         UNITED     STATES     HISTOKY.  [1862 

On  an  elevated  plateau  rising  in  the  form  of  an  amphitheatre, 
on  whose  sloping  sides  were  arranged  tier  upon  tier  of 
batteries,  with  gunboats  protecting  the  left,  the  broken  frag- 
ments of  the  splendid  Army  of  the  Potomac  made  then*  last 
stand  (July  1).  Here  Lee  received  so  bloody  a  check  that  he 
pressed  the  pursuit  no  further.  The  Union  troops  retired  un- 
disturbed to  Harrison's  Landing. 

The  Effect  of  this  campaign  was  triumphant  for  the  Con- 
federate cause.  The  Union  retreat  had  been  conducted  with 
skill,  the  troops  had  shown  great  bravery  and  steadiness,  the 
repulse  at  Malvern  was  decided,  and  Lee  had  lost  probably 
twenty  thousand  men ;  yet  the  siege  of  Richmond  had  been 
raised,  ten  thousand  prisoners  captured,  immense  stores  taken 
or  destroyed,  and  the  Union  army  cooped  up  on  James 
Eiver,  under  the  protection  of  the  gunboats.  The  discourage- 
ment at  the  North  was  as  great  as  after  the  battle  of  Bull 
Run.  Lincoln  called  for  a  levy  of  three  hundred  thousand 
troops. 

Campaign  against  Pope.  —  Richmond  being  relieved 
from  present  peril,  Lee  threatened  to  march  his  victorious 
army  against  Washington.  General  Pope,  who  commanded 
the  troops  for  the  defence  of  that  city,  was  stationed  at  the 
Rapidan.  General  McClellan  was  directed  to  transfer  his 
army  to  Acquia  Creek  (see  map,  p.  261),  and  put  it  under 
the  command  of  General  Pope.  Lee,  now  relieved  from  all 
fear  for  Richmond,  immediately  massed  his  troops  against  Pope 
to  crush  him  before  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  could  arrive.* 

Pope  being  held  in  check  by  the  main  army  in  front,  Gen- 
eral Jackson  was  sent  around. Pope's  right  wing  to  flank  him. 
Passing  through  Thoroughfare  Gap  he  reached  the  railroad  at 

*  In  the  mean  time  Jackson  attacked  Banks  at  Cedar  Mountain  (August  9)  and 
defeated  him  after  a  bloody  battle,  but,  unable  to  maintain  his  position,  fell  back  on 
Lee's  advancing  army.  Pope,  seeing  the  fearful  odds  against  which  he  was  to  con- 
tend, took  post  behind  the  Rappahannock. 


1862.]  EPOCH  v.  241 

Bristoe's  Station,  in  the  rear  of  Pope's  army  (August  26). 
General  Pope,  seeing  an  opportunity  while  Lee's  army  was  thus 
divided  to  cut  it  up  in  detail,  turned  upon  Jackson.  But  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac  not  promptly  reinforcing  him,  his  plans 
failed,  and  instead  of  "bagging"  Jackson's  division,  he  was 
compelled,  with  only  forty  thousand  men,  to  fight  the  entire 
Confederate  army  on  the  old  battle-field  of  Bull  Run.  Ex- 
hausted, cut  off  from  supplies,  and  overwhelmed  by  numbers, 
the  shattered  remains  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  were  glad 
to  take  refuge  within  the  fortifications  of  Washington.* 

The  Effect  of  this  brief  campaign  was  signal.  The  Union 
army  had  lost  thirty  thousand  men  and  vast  supplies,  while 
the  way  to  Washington  was  open  to  the  Confederates.  The 
Capital  had  not  been  in  such  peril  since  the  war  began. 
Without,  was  a  victorious  army ;  within,  only  broken  battalions 
and  no  general. 

Invasion  of  Maryland. — Flushed  with  success,  Lee  now 
crossed  the  Potomac  and  entered  Maryland,!  hoping  to  secure 
volunteers  and  incite  an  insurrection.  McClellan  being  re- 
stored to  the  command  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  reorgan- 
ized the  shapeless  mass  and  set  out  in  pursuit.  On  the  way 
he  found  a  copy  of  Lee's  order  of  march.  Learning  from  this 
that  Lee  had  divided  his  forces,!  an(l  that  DU^  a  portion  re- 
mained in  his  front,  he  hastened  in  pursuit.  Overtaking  the 
Confederate  rear  at  South  Mountain,  and  forcing  the  passes, 
the  Union  army  poured  into  the  valley  beyond. 

*  During  the  pursuit  by  Lee's  forces,  an  engagement  took  place  at  Chantilly  (Sep. 
tember  1).  It  cost  the  Union  army  two  able  officers — Generals  Stevens  and  Kearney. 
The  latter,  especially,  was  devotedly  loved  by  his  soldiers.  On  the  battle-field,  bran- 
dishing his  sword  in  his  only  hand,  and  taking  the  reins  in  his  teeth,  he  had  often 
led  them  in  the  most  desperate  and  irresistible  charges. 

t  This  was  September  5,  the  very  day  that  Bragg  entered  Kentucky  on  his  great 
raid. 

}  Lee  had  sent  Jackson  with  twenty-five  thousand  men  against  Harper's  Ferry. 
That  redoubtable  leader  quickly  carried  the  heights  which  overlook  the  village,  forced 
Colonel  Miles,  with  eleven  thousand  men,  to  surrender,  and  then,  hastened  back  to 
take  part  in  the  approaching  contest. 
11 


242  UNITED    STATES    HISTORY. 

Battle  of  Antietam  (September  17).— Lee,  perceiving  his 
mistake,  fell  back  across  Antietam  (An-te'-tam)  Creek  and  hur- 
ried off  couriers  to  hasten  the  return  of  his  scattered  corps.  For- 
tunately for  him,  McClellan  delayed  his  attack  a  day,  and  in  the 
meantime  Jackson  had  returned.  At  early  dawn,  Hooker  fell 
upon  the  Confederate  left,  while  Burnside,  as  soon  as  affairs 
looked  favorable  there,  was  to  carry  the  bridge  and  attack 
their  right.  The  Union  army  was  over  eighty  thousand 
strong,  and  the  Confederate  but  half  that  number.  The 
Union  advance  was  impetuous,  but  the  Confederate  defence 
was  no  less  obstinate.  Hooker  was  wounded,  and  his  corps 
swept  from  the  field.  Both  sides  were  reinforced.  Burnside 
advanced,  but  too  late  to  relieve  the  pressure  on  the  Union 
right.  Night  ended  this  bloody  fight.  The  morning  found 
neither  commander  ready  to  assail  his  opponent.  That  night, 
Lee  retired  unmolested  across  the  Potomac.*  Six  weeks  after, 
the  Union  army  crossed  into  Virginia. 

The  Effect  of  this  indecisive  battle  was  that  of  a  Union  vic- 
tory. The  North  was  saved  from  invasion,  and  Washington 
from  any  danger  of  attack.  Lincoln  now  determined  to  issue 
the  Emancipation  Proclamation,  declaring  freedom  to  all  the 


Battle  of  Fredericksburg. — General  dissatisfaction  be- 

*  During  this  invasion  the  Confederate  soldiers  had  endured  every  privation ;  one- 
half  were  in  rags,  and  thousands  barefooted  had  marked  their  path  with  crimson.  Yet 
shoeless,  hatless,  and  ragged,  they  had  marched  and  fought  with  a  heroism  like  that 
of  the  Revolutionary  times.  But  they  met  their  equals  at  Antietam.  Jackson's  and 
Hooker's  men  fought  until  both  sides  were  nearly  exterminated,  and  when  the  broken 
fragments  fell  back  the  windrows  of  dead  showed  where  their  ranks  had  stood. 

t  Lincoln  prepared  the  original  draft  in  the  July  preceding,  when  the  Union 
forces  were  in  the  midsf  of  reverses.  Carpenter  repeats  President  Lincoln's  words 
thus :  "  I  put  the  draft  of  the  proclamation  aside,  waiting  for  a  victory.  Well,  the 
next  news  we  had  was  of  Pope's  disaster  at  Bull  Run.  Things  looked  darker  than 
ever.  Finally  came  the  week  of  the  battle  of  Antietam.  I  determined  to  wait  no 
longer.  The  news  came,  I  think,  on  Wednesday,  that  the  advantage  was  on  our 
side.  I  was  then  staying  at  the  Soldier's  Home.  Here  I  finished  writing  the 
second  draft  of  the  proclamation  ;  came  up  on  Saturday ;  called  the  Cabinet  together 
to  hear  it,  and  it  was  published  the  following  Monday.  /  made  a  solemn  vow  before 
God,  that  if  General  Lee  was  driven  back  from  Maryland  I  would  crown  the  result 
by  the  declaration  of  freedom  to  the  slaves  ? " 


1862.]  EPOCH    V.  243 

ing  expressed  at  the  slowness  with  which  McClellan  pursued 
the  retreating  army,  General  Burnside  was  appointed  his  suc- 
cessor. Crossing  the  Kappahannock  on  pontoon  bridges  at 
Fredericksburg,  he  attempted  (December  13)  to  storm  the 
works  in  the  rear  of  the  town.  The  Confederates,  intrenched 
behind  a  long  stone  wall,  and  on  heights  crowned  with  artil- 
lery, easily  repulsed  the  repeated  assaults  of  the  Union  troops. 
Night  mercifully  put  an  end  to  the  fruitless  massacre.  The 
Federal  loss  was  over  twelve  thousand,  nearly  half  of  whom  fell 
before  the  fatal  stone  wall.*  The  survivors  drew  back  into  the 
city,  and  the  next  night  crept  quietly  across  the  bridges  to 
their  old  camping  ground. 

General  Review  of  the  Second  Tear  of  the  War. — 
The  Confederates  had  gained  the  victories  of  Jackson  in 
the  Shenandoah ;  of  Lee  in  the  Peninsular  campaign  and 
those  against  Pope ;  Bragg's  great  raid  in  Kentucky ;  and 
the  battles  of  Cedar  Mountain,  Chickasaw  Bluff,  and  Fred- 
ericksburg. 

The  Federals  had  taken  Forts  Henry,  Donelson,  Pulaski, 
Macon,  Jackson,  St.  Philip,  and  Island  No.  10 ;  had  opened 
the  Mississippi  to  Vicksburg,  occupied  New  Orleans,  Roanoke 
Island,  Newbern,  Yorktown,  Norfolk  and  Memphis;  had 
gained  the  battles  of  Pea  Eidge,  Williamsburg,  Fair  Oaks, 
South  Mountain,  Antietam,  luka,  Corinth  and  Murfreesboro, 


*  This  solid  stone  wall,  four  feet  high,  completely  sheltered  the  troops,  while  they 
poured  a  murderous  flre  upon  the  attacking  party.  In  the  assault.  Meagher's  Irish 
troops  especially  distinguished  themselves,  leaving  two-thirds  of  their  numher  on 
the  field  of  their  heroic  action.  The  London  Times'  correspondent,  who  watched  the 
battle  from  the  heights,  speaking  of  their  desperate  valor,  says  :  "  Never  at  Fonte- 
noy,  Albnera,  nor  at  Waterloo  was  more  undoubted  courage  displayed  by  the  sons  of 
Erin  than  during  those  six  frantic  dashes  which  they  directed  against  the  almost 
impregnable  position  of  their  foe.  That  any  mortal  man  could  have  carried  the  posi- 
tion, defended  as  it  was,  it  seems  idle  for  a  moment  to  believe.  But  the  bodies  which 
lie  in  dense  masses  within  forty-eight  yards  of  the  muzzles  of  Colonel  Walton's  guns 
are  the  best  evidence  what  manner  of  men  they  were  who  pressed  on  to  death  with 
the  dauntlessness  of  a  race  which  has  gained  glory  on  a  thousand  battle-fields,  and 
never  more  richly  deserved  it  than  at  the  foot  of  Marye's  Heights,  on  the  13tb  day  of 
December,  1862." 


244  UNITED     STATES     HISTOEY.  [186& 

and  had  put  to  flight  the  Merrimac.  The  marked  successes 
were  mainly  at  the  West  and  along  the  coast ;  while  in  Vir- 
ginia, as  yet,  defeats  had  followed  victories  so  soon  as  to 
hide  their  memory. 

THE    SIOUX    WAR. 

In  the  midst  of  this  civil  strife,  the  Sioux  (soo)  Indians 
became  dissatisfied  with  the  Indian  traders,  and  the  non- 
payment of  the  money  due  them.  Bands  of  warriors  under 
Little  Crow  and  other  chiefs  perpetrated  the  most  horrible 
massacres  in  Minnesota,  Iowa,  and  Dacotah.  Over  seven 
hundred  whites  were  slain,  and  many  thousands  driven  from 
their  homes.  Colonel  Sibley,  after  a  month's  pursuit  of 
the  savages,  routed  them,  and  took  five  hundred  prisoners. 
Thirty-nine  were  hung  on  one  scaffold,  at  Mankato,  Minn., 
December  26. 

1863. 

The  Situation. — The  plan  of  the  war  was  the  same  as 
in  the  preceding  year,  but  included  also  the  occupation  of 
Tennessee.  The  Federal  army  was  about  seven  hundred 
thousand  strong ;  the  Confederate,  not  more  than  half  that 
number.  The  Emancipation  Proclamation  was  issued  at  the 
opening  of  the  year. 

THE    WAR    IN    THE    WEST. 

The  Second  Expedition  Against  Vicksburg. — Grant 
continued  his  great  task  of  opening  the  Mississippi.  Aftei 
several  weeks  of  fruitless  effort  against  Vicksburg  upon  the 
north,  he  marched  down  the  west  side  cf  the  river,  while 
the  gunboats,  running  the  batteries,*  passed  below  the 

*  The  running  of  the  batteries  with  transports  was  considered  so  hazardous  that 
the  officers  would  not  order  their  crewa  to  take  the  fearful  risk,  but  called  for  volun- 
teers. So  many  privates  offered  themselves,  that  they  were  compelled  to  draw  lots. 


1863.] 


EPOCH    V . 


245 


VICINITY   OF  VICKSBURG. 


city  and  ferried  the  army  across.  Hastening  forward,  he  de- 
feated the  Confederate  advance  under  Pemberton,  at  Port  Gib' 
son  (May  1).  Learning  that 
General  Jos.  E.  Johnston 
was  coming  to  Pemberton's 
assistance,  he  rapidly  pushed 
between  them  to  Jackson, 
that,  while  holding  back 
Johnston  with  his  right  hand, 
with  his  left  he  might  drive 
Pemberton  into  Vicksburg, 
and  thus  capture  his  whole 

army.  Pursuing  this  design,  he  defeated  Johnston  at  Jackson 
(May  14),  and  then,  turning  to  the  west,  drove  Pemberton 
from  his  position  at  Champion  Hills  (May  16) ;  next  at  Big 
Black  River  (May  17) ;  and  in  seventeen  days  from  the  time 
he  landed,  Pemberton's  army  was  shut  up  within  the  iii- 
trenchments  at  Vicksburg.  Here  two  desperate  assaults 
failed.  The  Union  troops  then  threw  up  intrenchments*. 
Mines  and  counter-mines  were  dug.  Not  one  of  the  garri- 
son could  show  his  head  above  the  works  without  being 
picked  off  by  the  watchful  riflemen.  A  hat,  held  above  a 
port-hole,  was  pierced  in  two  minutes  with  fifteen  balls. 
Shells  reached  all  parts  of  the  city.  The  inhabitants  bur- 
rowed in  caves  to  escape  the  iron  storm  which  rained  upon 
them.  The  garrison,  worn  out  by  forty-seven  days  in  the 
trenches,  surrendered  on  the  4th  of  July. 

The  Effect. — This  campaign   cost  the  Confederates  five 
battles,  the  cities  of  Vicksburg  and  Jackson,  thirty-seven 


One  boy,  drawing  a  lucky  number,  was  offered  $100  for  his  chance,  but  refused  it, 
and  lived  to  tell  the  story.  The  gauntlet  of  batteries  extended  eight  mile?.  Tha 
first  gunboat  crept  silently  down  in  the  shadow  of  the  trees  which  lined  the  bank. 
The  Confederates  at  Vicksburg  discovering  the  movement,  kindled  a  bonfire  which 
lighted  up  the  whole  scene,  and  made  the  other  vessels  a  fair  target  for  their  gunners. 


246  UXITED    STATES    HISTORY.  [1863. 

thousand  prisoners,  ten  thousand  killed  and  wounded,  and 
immense  stores.  On  the  fall  of  Yicksburg,  Port  Hudson, 
which  had  been  besieged  by  General  Banks  for  many  weeks, 
surrendered.*  The  Mississippi  was  now  open  to  the  Gulf, 
and  the  Confederacy  was  cut  in  twain.  One  great  object  of 
the  Xorth  was  accomplished. 

THE    WAR    IN    TENNESSEE    AND    GEORGIA. 

Eosecrans,  after  the  battle  of  Murfreesboro,  made  no  for- 
mal movement  until  June.f  With  sixty  thousand  men,  he 
then  marched  against  Bragg.  By  threatening  his  commu- 
nications, he  compelled  Bragg  to  evacuate  Chattanooga  \ 
(Sept.  8).  Eosecrans  pushed  on  in  pursuit  of  Bragg,  whom 
he  supposed  to  be  in  full  retreat.  Bragg,  however,  having 
received  powerful  reinforcements,  turned  upon  his  pursuers 
so  suddenly,  that  they  narrowly  escaped  being  cut  up  in 
detail  while  scattered  along  a  line  forty  miles  in  length. 
The  Union  forces  rapidly  concentrated,  and  the  two  armies 
met  on  the  Chickamauga.§ 

*  To  escape  the  fiery  tempest  which  constantly  swept  over  Port  Hudson,  and  to 
provide  for  the  safety  of  their  magazines,  the  garrison  dug  deep  recesses  in  the 
bluffs,  approached  by  steps  cut  out  of  the  earth.  An  eye-witness  says :  "  As  we  rode 
along  the  earthworks  inside,  after  the  siege,  it  was  curious  to  mark  the  ingenious 
ways  in  which  they  had  burrowed  holes  to  shelter  themselves  from  shell  and  from 
the  intolerable  rays  of  the  sun ;  while  at  work,  they  must  have  looked  like  so  many 
rabbits  popping  in  and  out  of  their  warrens." 

t  One  objection  which  Rosecrans  opposed  to  a  forward  movement  was  his  inferi- 
ority in  cavalry.  This  was  removed  in  July,  when  General  John  H.  Morgan,  with 
about  four  thousand  Confederate  cavalry,  crossed  the  Ohio  at  Brandenburg,  swept 
around  Cincinnati,  and  struck  the  river  again  near  Pafkersburg.  During  his  entire 
route,  he  had  been  harassed  by  militia.  At  this  point  he  was  overtaken  by  his  pur- 
suers, while  gunboats  in  the  river  prevented  his  crossing.  Nearly  the  entire  force 
was  captured.  Morgan  escaped,  but  was  finally  taken  and  confined  in  the  peniten- 
tiary at  Columbus.  Four  months  afterward,  he  broke  jail  and  reached  Richmond  to 
safety. 

%  General  Bragg  had  here  an  opportunity  to  be  shut  up  in  Chattanooga,  as  Pember- 
ton  had  been  in  Vicksburg:  but,  a  more  acute  strategist,  he  knew  the  value  of  an 
army  in  the  field  to  be  greater  than  that  of  any  fortified  city. 

§  In  the  Indian  language,  the  "  River  of  Death  "—an  ominous  name ! 


1863.] 


EPOCH    V. 


247 


Battle  of  Chickamauga  (September  19,  20).— The  first 
day's  fight  was  indecisive.  About  noon  of  the  second  day, 
the  Federal  line  became  broken  from  the  movement  of  troops 
to  help  the  left  wing,  then  hard  pressed.  Longstreet  caught 
the  opportunity,  pushed  a  brigade  into  the  gap,  and  swept 
the  Federal  right  and  centre  from  the  field.  The  rushing 
crowd  of  fugitives  bore  Eosecrans  himself  away.  In  this  crisis 
of  the  battle  all  depended  on  the  left,  under  Thomas.  If 
that  yielded,  the  army  would  be  utterly  routed.  All  through 
the  long  afternoon  the  entire  Confederate  army  surged  against 
it  But  Thomas  held  fast.*  At  night  he  "deliberately  with- 
drew to  Chattanooga,  picking  up  fiv-e  hundred  prisoners  on 
the  way.  The  Union  army,  how- 
ever, defeated  in  the  field,  was 
now  shut  up  in  its  intrenchments. 
Bragg  occupied  the  hills  com- 
manding the  city,  and  cut  off  its 
communications.  The  garrison  was 
threatened  with  starvation.! 

Battle  cf  Chattanooga};  (Nov. 
24,  25).  —  Grant  having  been  ap- 
pointed successor  to  Eosecrans,  im- 
mediately hastened  to  Chattanooga.§ 
Affairs  soon  wore  a  different  look. 
Hooker  came  with  two  corps  from  the  Army  of  the  Potomac ;  || 

*  He  was  thenceforth  styled  the  "  Rock  of  Chickamanga."  He  was  in  command  of 
men  as  hrave  as  himself.  Col.  George,  of  the  Second  Minnesota,  being  asked  "  How 
long  can  you  hold  this  pass  ?"  replied, ''  Until  the  regiment  is  mustered  out  of  service." 
t  "  Starvation  had  so  destroyed  the  animals  that  there  were  not  artillery  horses 
enough  to  take  a  battery  into  action.  The  number  of  mules  that  perished  was 
graphically  indicated  by  one  of  the  soldiers  of  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee :  '  The 
mud  was  so  deep  that  we  could  not  travel  by  the  road,  but  we  got  along  pretty  well 
by  stepping  from  mule  to  mule  as  they  lay  dead  by  the  way.'  " — Draper. 

t  In  the  Cherokee  language,  "  The  Hawk's  Nest." 

§  Thomas  held  command  after  Rosecrans  left,  and  Grant  was  afraid  he  might  sur- 
render before  reinforcements  could  reach  him,  and  therefore  telegraphed  him  to  hold 
fast.  The  characteristic  reply  was,  "  I  will  stay  till  I  starve." 

II  Twenty-three  thousand  strong,  they  were  carried  by  rail  from  the  Rapidan,  in 


VICINITY   OF  CHATTANOOGA. 


2±S  CXITED     STATES     HISTORY.  [1863. 

and  Sherman  hastened  by  forced  marches  from  luka,  two  hun- 
dred miles  away.  Communications  were  re-established.  Thomas 
made  a  dash*  and  seized  Orchard  Knob  (November  23).  The 
folio  whig  day  Hooker  charged  the  fortifications  on  Lookout 
Mountain.f  His  troops  had  been  ordered  to  stop  on  the  high 
ground,  but,  carried  away  by  the  ardor  of  the  attack,  they 
swept  over  the  crest,  driving  the  enemy  before  them.  Through 
the  mist  that  filled  the  valley,  the  anxious  watchers  below 
caught  only  glimpses  of  this  far-famed  "battle  above  the 
clouds.'"'  The  next  morning  Hooker  advanced  on  the  south 
of  Missionary  Eidge.  Sherman  during  the  whole  time  had 
been  pounding  away  on  the  northern  flank.  Grant,  from  his 
position  on  Orchard  Knob,  perceiving  that  the  Confederate 
line  in  front  of  him.  was  being  weakened  to  repel  these  attacks 
on  the  flanks,  saw  that  the  critical  moment  had  come,J  and 
launched  Thomas's  corps  on  its  centre.  The  orders  were  to 
take  the  rifle-pits  at  the  foot  of  Missionary  Ridge,  then  halt 
and  re-form ;  but  the  men  forgot  it  all,  carried  the  works  at 


Virginia,  to  Stevenson,  in  Alabama,  eleven  hundred  and  ninety-two  miles,  in  seven 
days.  They  ate  their  rations  as  they  rode.  Not  a  moment  was  lost.  The  enemy  did  not 
know  of  their  change  of  base  until  Hooker  appeared  in  front. 

*  It  was  a  beautiful  day.    The  men  had  on  their  best  uniforms,  and  the  bands  dis- 
coursed the  liveliest  music.    The  hills  were  crowded  with  spectators.    The  Con- 
federates on  Lookout  Mountain  and  Missionary  Ridge  could  see  every  movement. 
Bragg's  pickets  stood  leaning  on  their  muskets  watching  Thomas's  columns  drawn 
up  as  if  on  parade.    Suddenly  the  Union  line  broke  into  a  double  quick,  and  the 
review  was  turned  into  a  battle. 

t  The  first  day  the  Confederate  left  rested  on  Lookout  Mountain,  there  two  thou- 
sand four  hundred  feet  high  ;  the  right,  along  Missionary  Ridge— so  called  because 
upon  it,  many  years  ago,  Catholic  missionaries  had  Indian  scnools  ;  and  the  centre, 
in  the  valley  between.  The  second  day  their  army  simply  occupied  Missionary 
Ridge,  in  the  centre  of  their  former  line,  in  front  of  Grant  at  Orchard  Knob. 

*  Grant  had  been  waiting  for  this.    The  signals  for  the  attack  had  been  arranged: 
six  cannon-shots,  fired  at  intervals  of  two  seconds.    The  moment  arrived.    "  Strong 
and  steady  the  order  rang  out :  '  Number  one.  fire  !    Number  two,  fire !    Number 
three,  fire ! ' "    "  It  seemed  to  me."  says  an  eye-witness,  "  like  the  tolling  of  the 
clock  of  destiny.    And  when  at  'Number  six.  fire  !'  the  roar  throbbed  out  with  the 
flash,  yon  should  have  seen  the  dead  line,  that  had  been  lying  behind  the  works  all 
day,  come  to  resurrection  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye,  and  leap  like  a  blade  from  its 
scabbard." 


1863.] 


F  PO  CH    V. 


249 


the  base,  and  then  swept  on  up  the  ascent.  Grant  caught  the 
inspiration,  and  ordered  a  grand  charge  along  the  whole-  front. 
Up  they  went,  over  rocks  and  chasms,  all  lines  broken,  the 
flags  far  ahead,  each  surrounded  by  a  group  of  the  bravest. 
Without  firing  a  shot,  and  heedless  of  the  tempest  hurled 


CHARGING   UP   MISSIONARY   RIDGE. 


upon  them,  they  surmounted  the  crest,  captured  the  guns, 
and  turned  them  on  the  retreating  foe.  That  night  the  Union 
camp-fires,  glistening  along  the  heights  about  Chattanooga, 
proclaimed  the  success  of  this,  the  most  brilliant  of  Grant's 
achievements  and  the  most  picturesque  of  all  the  battles  of 
the  war. 

The  Effects  of  this  campaign  were  the  utter  rout  of  Bragg'a 
army,  the  resignation  of  that  general,  and  the  possession 
of  Chattanooga  by  the  Union  forces.  This  post  gave  con- 


250  UNITED     STATES     HISTOBY.  [1863. 

trol  of  East  Tennessee,  and  opened  the  way  to  the  heart 
of  the  Confederacy.  It  became  the  doorway  by  which  the 
Union  army  gained  easy  access  to  Virginia,  North  and  South 
Carolina,  Georgia,  and  Alabama. 

THE    WAR    IN    EAST    TENNESSEE. 

"While  Rosecrans  was  moving  on  Chattanooga,  Burnside, 
being  relieved  of  the  command  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac, 
was  sent  into  East  Tennessee,  where  he  met  with  great  suc- 
cess. In  the  mean  time  the  Confederate  President  Davis, 
having  visited  Bragg,  and  thinking  Chattanooga  sure  to  be 
captured,  sent  Longstreet  with  his  corps  to  the  defence  of 
Tennessee.  His  men  were  in  a  deplorable  state — hungry, 
ragged,  and  tentless ;  but  under  this  indefatigable  leader,  they 
shut  up  Burnside's  force  in  Knoxville  (September  17).  Mean- 
while, Grant,  in  the  moment  of  his  splendid  triumph  at  Chat- 
tanooga, ordered  Sherman's  torn,  bleeding,  barefoot  troops 
over  terrible  roads  one  hundred  miles  to  Burnside's  relief. 
Longstreet,  in  order  to  anticipate  the  arrival  of  these  rein- 
forcements, made  a  desperate  assault  upon  Burnside  (Novem- 
ber 29),  but  it  was  as  heroically  repulsed.  As  Sherman's 
advance  guard  reached  Knoxville  (December  4),  Longstreet's 
troops  filed  out  of  their  works  in  retreat. 

THE    WAR     IN     THE    EAST. 

Battle  of  Chancellorsville  (May  2,  3).— Burnside,  after 
the  defeat  at  Fredericksburg,  was  succeeded  by  General 
Hooker  (January  26).  The  departure  of  Longstreet  to  help 
Bragg,  leaving  Lee  only  sixty  thousand  to  oppose  to  the 
Potomac  army  of  over  one  hundred  thousand,  offered  a 
favorable  opportunity  for  an  attack.  Accordingly,  Sedg- 
wick  was  left  to  carry  the  intrenchments  at  Fredericksburg, 
while  the  main  body  crossed  the  Rappahannock  some  miles 


1363.J  EPOCH    V.  251 

above,  and  took  position  in  the  wilderness  near  Chancel- 
lorsville.  Lee,  relying  on  the  dense  woods  to  conceal  his 
movements,  risked  the  perilous  chance  of  dividing  his  army  in 
the  presence  of  a  superior  enemy.  While  he  kept  up  a  show 
of  fight  in  front,  Jackson,  by  a  detour  of  fifteen  miles,  got  to 
the  rear  with  twenty  thousand  men,  and,  bursting  out  of  the 
dense  woods  like  a  tempest,  routed  the  Union  right.  During 
the  night,  Hooker  took  a  new  position;  but  by  constant 
attacks  through  the  day,  Lee  gradually  forced  the  Union 
line  from  the  field  of  battle,  and  captured  Chancellor  House.* 
As  he  was  preparing  for  a  final  grand  charge,  word  was  re- 
ceived that  Sedgwick  had  crossed  the  Rappahannock,  taken 
Fredericksburg,  and  had  fallen  on  his  rear.  Drawing  back, 
he  turned  against  this  new  antagonist  and,  by  severe  fighting 
that  night  and  the  next  day,  compelled  him  to  recross  the 
river.  Lee  then  went  to  look  after  Hooker,  but  found  him 
gone.  The  Army  of  the  Potomac  was  soon  back  on  its  old 
camping  ground  opposite  Fredericksburg. f 

Lee's  Second  Invasion  of  the  North. — Lee,  encour- 
aged by  his  success,  now  determined  to  carry  the  war  into 
the  Northern  States,  and  dictate  terms  of  peace  in  Philadel- 
phia or  New  York.J  With  the  finest  army  the  South  had 

*  A  pillar  on  the  veranda  of  this  house,  against  which  Hooker  was  leaning,  being 
struck  by  a  cannon-ball,  that  general  was  stunned,  and  for  an  hour,  in  the  heat  of  the 
fight,  the  army  was  deprived  of  its  commander. 

t  In  this  battle  the  South  was  called  to  mourn  the  death  of  Stonewall  Jackson, 
whose  magical  name  was  worth  to  their  cause  more  than  an  army.  In  the  evening 
after  his  successful  onslaught  upon  the  flank  of  the  Union  line,  while  riding  back  to 
camp  from  a  reconnoissance  at  the  front,  he  was  fired  upon  by  his  own  men,  who 
mistook  his  escort  for  Federal  cavalry. 

$  The  Union  disasters  which  had  happened  since  the  beginning  of  the  year  encour- 
aged this  hope.  Galveston,  Texas,  had  been  retaken  by  General  Magrnder,  whereby 
not  only  valuable  stores  had  been  acquired,  but  a  sea-port  had  been  opened,  and  the 
Union  cause  in  that  State  depressed.  Burnside  had  been  checked  in  his  victorious 
career  in  Tennessee  (p.  230).  The  naval  attack  on  Charleston  had  proved  a  failure 
(p.  254).  An  attempt  to  capture  Fort  McAllister  had  met  with  no  success.  Rose- 
crans  had  made  no  progress  against  Bragg.  Banks  had  not  then  taken  Port 
Hudson.  Vicksburg  still  kept  Grant  at  bay.  The  Army  of  the  Potomac  had  been 
checked  at  Fredericksburg  and  Chancellors ville,  and  at  one  time  two  hundred  soldiers 


252 


UNITED    STATES    HISTOET. 


ever  sent  forth,  the  flower  of  her  troops,  carefully  equipped 
and  confident  of  success,  he  rapidly  moved  down  the  Shenan- 
doah,  crossed  the  Potomac,  and  advanced  to  Chambersburg. 
The  Union  army  followed  along  the  east  side  of  the  Blue 
Eidge  and  South  Mountains.  Lee,  fearing  that  Meade,  who 
now  commanded  the  Federals,  would  strike  through  some  of 
the  passes  and  cut  off  his  communications  with  Kichmond, 
turned  east  to  threaten  Baltimore,  and  thus  draw  off  Meade 
for  its  defence. 

Battle  of  Gettysburg  (July 
1-3).— first  Day.— The  Confeder- 
ate advance  unexpectedly  met  the 
Union  cavalry  just  westward  from 
Gettysburg,  on  the  Chambersburg 
road,*  Eeinforcements  came  up  on 
both  sides,  but  the  Federal  troops 
were  finally  forced  back,  and,  be- 
coming entangled  in  the  streets  of 
the  village,  lost  many  prisoners.  All 
that  night  the  troops  kept  arriving 
and  taking  their  positions  by  moon- 
light, to  be  ready  for  the  contest  which  they  saw  was  now  at 
hand.f  The  armies  were  each  about  eighty  thousand  strong. 

per  day  were  deserting  its  ranks.  The  term  of  service  of  forty  thousand  men  had 
expired,  and  the  total  Union  strength  was  now  only  eighty  thousand.  The  cost  of 
the  war  was  enormous,  and  a  strong  peace  party  had  arisen  at  the  North.  The  draft 
was  very  unpopular.  Indeed,  during  Lee's  invasion,  a  riot  broke  out  in  New  York 
to  resist  it ;  houses  were  burned,  negroes  were  pursued  in  the  streets  and,  when  cap- 
tured, were  beaten,  and  even  hung ;  for  three  days  the  city  was  a  scene  of  outrage 
and  violence. 

*  Neither  general  had  planned  to  have  the  fight  at  this  place ;  Lee  had  intended 
not  to  fight  at  all,  except  a  defensive  battle,  and  Meade  proposed  to  make  the  contest 
at  Pipe  Creek,  about  fifteen  miles  southeast  from  Gettysburg.  The  movement  ol 
cavalry  which  brought  on  this  great  battle  was  only  a  screen  to  conceal  the  Union 
army  marching  towards  Meade's  desired  battle-field.— Draper. 

t  The  Union  line  was  upon  a  fish-hook-shaped  ridge  about  six  miles  long,  with 
Gulp's  Hill  at  the  barb.  Cemetery  Ridge  along  the  side,  and  Little  Round  Top  and 
Round  Top,  two  eminences,  at  the  eye.  The  Confederate  line  was  on  Seminary 
Ridge,  at  a  distance  of  about  a  mile  and  a  half.  The  Union  troops  lay  behind  rock 


VICINITY   OF   GETTYSBURG. 


EPOCH  v.  253 

Second  Day. — In  the  afternoon,  Longstreet  led  the  first 
grand  charge  against  the  Union  left,  in  order  to  secure  Little 
Bound  Top.  General  Sickles,  by  mistake,  had  here  taken  a 
position  in  front  of  Meade's  intended  line  of  battle.  The  Con- 
federates, far  out-flanking,  swung  around  him,  but  as  they 
reached  the  top  of  the  hill  they  met  a  brigade  which  Warren 
had  sent  just  in  time  to  defeat  this  attempt.  Sickles  was, 
however,  driven  back  to  Cemetery  Ridge,  where  he  stood  firm. 
Ewell,  in  an  attack  on  the  Federal  right,  succeeded  in  getting 
a  position  on  Gulp's  Hill.* 

Third  Day. — At  one  o'clock  p.  M.,  Lee  suddenly  opened  on 
Cemetery  Ridge  with  one  hundred  and  fifty  guns.  For  two 
hours  the  air  was  alive  with  shells,  f  Then  the  cannonade 
lulled,  and  out  of  the  woods  swept  the  Confederate  double 
battle-line,  over  a  mile  long,  and  preceded  by  a  cloud  of 
skirmishers.  A  thrill  of  admiration  ran  along  the  Union 
ranks,  as,  silently  and  with  disciplined  steadiness,  that 
magnificent  column  of  eighteen  thousand  men  moved  up 
the  slope  of  Cemetery  Ridge.  A  hundred  guns  tore  great 
gaps  in  their  front.  Infantry  volleys  smote  their  ranks. 
Their  line  was  broken,  yet  they  pushed  forward.  They 
planted  their  battle-flags  on  the  breastworks.  They  bayoneted 
the  cannoneers  at  their  guns.  They  fought,  hand  to  hand, 
so  close  that  the  exploding  powder  scorched  their  clothes. 
Upon  this  seething  mass  the  Federals  converged  from  every 
side.  No  human  endurance  could  stand  the  storm.  Out 


/edges  and  stone  walls.  The  Confederates  were  largely  hidden  in  the  woods.  In  the 
valley  between,  were  fields  of  grain  and  pastures  where  cattle  were  feeding  all  un- 
conscious of  the  gathering  storm. 

*  Lee,  encouraged  by  these  successes,  resolved  to  continue  the  flght.  The  Confed- 
erate victories,  however,  were  only  apparent.  Sickles  had  been  forced  into  a  better 
position  than  at  first,  and  the  one  which  Meade  had  intended  he  should  occupy; 
and  Ewell  was  driven  out  of  the  Union  works  early  the  next  morning. 

t  It  is  customary  in  battle  to  demoralize  the  enemy  before  a  grand  infantry  charge, 
by  concentrating  upon  the  desired  point  a  tremendous  artillery  fire. 


254  UXITEJ)     STATES     HISTOBY.  [1863. 

of  that  terrible  fire  whole  companies  rushed  as  prisoners  into 
the  Union  lines,  while  the  wreck  fled  panic-stricken  from  the 
field.* 

Th.e  Federal  loss  in  the  three  days'  fight  was  twenty-three 
thousand,  and  the  Confederate,  thirty-six  thousand.  Meade 
slowly  followed  Lee,  who  re-crossed  the  Potomac,  and  took 
position  back  of  the  Kapidan. 

The  Effect  of  this  battle  was  to  put  an  end  to  the  idea  of 
Northern  invasion.  Lee's  magnificent  army  was  reduced  to 
forty  thousand.  The  veterans  who  went  down  in  the  awful 
charges  of  Gettysburg  could  never  be  replaced. 

THE    WAR    ON    THE    SEA    AND    THE  COAST. 

Attack  on  Charleston  (April  7). — Such  was  the  confi- 
dence felt  in  the  ability  of  the  iron-clads  to  resist  cannon- 
balls,  that  Admiral  Dupont  determined  to  run  the  fortifications 
at  the  entrance  to  Charleston,  and  force  his  way  up  to  the 
city.  The  attempt  was  a  disastrous  failure.f  General  Gil- 
more  now  took  charge  of  the  Union  troops,  and,  landing  on 
Morris  Island,|  by  regular  siege  approaches  and  a  terrible 
bombardment  captured  Fort  "Wagner  §  and  reduced  Fort 

*  At  the  very  moment  when  the  last  charge  was  being  repulsed,  Pemberton  was 
negotiating  for  the  surrender  of  Vicksburg  to  Grant.  This  was  the  turning-point  of 
the  war.  From  that  time  the  Confederacy  began  to  wane. 

t  The  Keoknk  was  sunk  and  nearly  all  the  vessels  were  seriously  injured.  The 
officers  declared  that  the  strokes  of  the  ehots  against  the  iron  sides  of  their  ships 
were  as  rapid  as  the  ticks  of  a  watch. 

$  In  a  marsh  west  of  Morris  Island,  piles  were  driven  in  the  mud  twenty  feet  deep, 
and  a  platform  made  on  which  was  placed  an  eight-inch  rifled  Parrot  gnn.  which  was 
nicknamed  the  "  Swamp  Angel."  It  threw  shells  five  miles  into  Charleston,  but 
burst  on  the  thirty-sixth  round.  The  bombardment  of  the  city  was  afterward  con- 
tinued from  the  other  batteries. 

§  Two  unsuccessful  charges  were  made  on  this  fort.  In  one.  the  54th  regiment, 
Colonel  Shaw,  bore  a  prominent  part.  It  was  the  first  colored  regiment  organized  in 
the  free  States.  In  order  to  be  in  season  for  the  assault  it  ha  !  marched  two  days 
through  heavy  sands  and  drenching  storms.  With  only  five  minutes  rest  it  took  its 
place  at  the  front  of  the  attacking  column.  The  men  fought  with  unflinching  gal- 
lantry, and  planted  their  flag  on  the  works ;  but  their  colonel,  and  so  many  of  the  oflt 


1863.]  EPOCH    V.  255 

Sumter  to  a  shapeless  mass  of  rubbish.  A  short  time  after,  a 
party  of  sailors  from  the  Union  fleet  essayed  to  capture  it  by 
night,  but  its  garrison,  upstarting  from  the  ruins,  drove  them 
back  with  great  loss. 

General  Review  of  the  Third  Year  of  the  War. — 
The  Confederates  had  gained  the  great  battles  of  Chicka- 
mauga  and  Chancellorsville,  seized  Galveston,  and  success- 
fully resisted  every  attack  on  Charleston. 

The  Federals  had  gained  the  battles  before  Vicksburg,  and 
at  Chattanooga  and  Gettysburg.  They  had  captured  the 
garrisons  of  Vicksburg  and  Port  Hudson.  The  Mississippi 
was  patrolled  by  gunboats,  and  the  supplies  from  the  West 
were  entirely  cut  off  from  the  Confederate  army.  Arkansas, 
East  Tennessee,  large  portions  of  Louisiana,  Mississippi, 
and  Texas,  as  far  as  the  Bio  Grande,  had  been  won  for  the 
Union. 


1864. 

The  Situation.— In'  March,  General  Grant  was  made 
Lieutenant-General  in  command  of  all  the  forces  of  the 
United  States.  Heretofore  the  different  armies  had  acted  in- 
dependently. They  were  now  to  move  in  concert  and  thus 
prevent  the  Confederate  forces  from  aiding  each  other.  The 
strength  of  the  South  lay  in  the  armies  of  Lee  in  Virginia, 
and  Jos.  E.  Johnston  in  Georgia.  Grant  was  to  attack  the 
former,  Sherman  the  latter,  and  both  were  to  keep  at  work 

cers  were  shot,  that  what  was  left  of  the  regiment  was  led  offby  a  boy— Lt.  Higginson. 
No  measure  of  the  war  was  more  bitterly  opposed  than  the  project  of  arming  the 
slaves.  It  was  denounced  at  the  North,  and  the  Confederate  Congress  passed  a  law 
which  threatened  with  death  any  white  officer  captured  while  in  command  of  negro 
troops,  leaving  the  men  to  be  dealt  with  according  to  the  laws  of  the  State  in  which  they 
were  taken.  Yet,  so  willing  were  the  negroes  to  enlist,  and  so  faithful  did  they 
prove  themselves  in  service,  that  in  December,  1863,  over  fifty  thousand  had  been  en 
rolled,  and  before  the  close  of  the  war  that  number  was  quadrupled- 


256 


UXITED     STATES     HISTORY. 


[1864. 


regardless  of  season  or  weather.  While  the  army  of  the 
Potomac  was  crossing  the  Eapidan  (May  4),  Grant,  seated  on 
a  log  by  the  road-side,  penciled  a  telegram  to  Sherman  to 

start. 


CROSSING  THE   RAPIDAN — GRANT'S  TELEGRAM. 


THE    WAR    IN    TENNESSEE    AND    GEORGIA. 

Advance  upon  Atlanta. — Sherman,  with  one  hundrecj 
thousand  men,  accordingly  moved  upon  Johnston,  who,  with 
fifty  thousand,  was  stationed  at  Dalton,  Ga.  The  Confeder- 
ate commander,  foreseeing  this  advance,  had  selected  a  series 
of  almost  impregnable  positions,  one  behind  the  other,  all  the 
way  to  Atlanta.  For  one  hundred  miles  there  was  continued 
skirmishing  among  mountains  and  woods,  which  presented 
every  opportunity  for  such  a  warfare.  Both  armies  were  led 


1864]  EPOCH   v.  257 

by  profound  strategists.  Sherman  would  drive  Johnston  into 
a  stronghold,  and  then  with  consummate  skill  outflank  him, 
when  Johnston  with  equal  skill  would  retreat  to  a  new  post 
and  prepare  to  meet  his  opponent  again.*  At  Dalton,  Kesaca, 
Dallas,  and  Lost  and  Kenesaw  Mountains  bloody  battles  were 
fought  Finally,  Johnston  retired  to  the  intrenchments  of 
Atlanta  (July  10). 

Capture  of  Atlanta. — Davis,  dissatisfied  with  this  Fabian 
policy,  now  put  Hood  in  command.  He  attacked  the  Union 
army  three  times  with  tremendous  energy,  but  was  repulsed 
with  great  slaughter.  Sherman,  thereupon  re-enacting  his  fa- 
vorite flank  movement,  filled  his  wagons  with  fifteen  days'  ra- 
tions, dexterously  shifted  his  whole  army  on  Hood's  line  of 
supplies,  and  thus  compelled  the  evacuation  of  the  city.f 

The  Uffect. — This  campaign  during  four  months  of  fighting 
and  marching,  day  and  night,  in  its  ten  pitched  battles  and 
scores  of  lesser  engagements,  cost  the  Union  army  thirty  thou- 
sand men,  and  the  Confederate,  about  forty  thousand.  Geor- 
gia was  the  workshop,  storehouse,  granary  and  arsenal  of  the 
Confederacy.  At  Atlanta,  Rome,  and  neighboring  towns  were 
manufactories,  foundries,  and  mills,  where  clothing,  wagons, 
harnesses,  powder,  balls,  and  cannon  were  furnished  to  all  its 
armies.  The  South  was  henceforth  cut  off  from  these  supplies. 

Hood's  Invasion  of  Tennessee. — Sherman  now  longed 
to  sweep  through  the  Atlantic  States.  But  this  was  impossible 

*  When  either  party  stopped  for  a  day  or  two,  it  fortified  its  front  with  an  abattis 
of  felled  trees  and  a  ditch  with  a  head-log  placed  on  the  embankment.  The  head- 
log  was  a  tree  twelve  or  fifteen  inches  in  diameter  resting  on  small  cross-sticks,  thus 
leaving  a  space  of  four  or  five  inches  between  the  log  and  the  dirt,  through  which  the 
guns  could  be  pointed. 

t  Daring  this  campaign,  Sherman's  supplies  had  all  been  brought  up  by  a  single 
line  of  railroad  from  Nashville,  a  distance  of  three  hundred  miles,  and  expose! 
throughout  to  the  attacks  of  the  enemy.  Yet  so  carefully  was  it  garrisoned  and  so 
rapidly  were  bridges  built  and  breaks  repaired,  that  the  damages  were  often  mended 
before  the  news  of  the  accident  had  reached  camp.  Sherman  paid  that  the  whistle  of 
the  locomotive  was  frequently  heard  on  the  camp-ground  befora  the  echoes  of  the 
skirmish  fire  had  died  away. 


258  UNITED    STATES     HISTORY.  [1864. 

as  long  as  Hood,  with  an  army  of  forty  thousand,  was  in 
front,  While  the  cavalry  under  Forrest  was  raiding  along  his 
railroad  communications  toward  Chattanooga  and  Nashville. 
With  unconcealed  joy,  therefore,  Sherman  learned  that  Hood 
was  to  invade  Tennessee.*  Believed  of  this  anxiety,  he  at  once 
prepared  his  army  for  its  celebrated  "  March  to  the  Sea." 

Battle  of  Nashville  (December  15,  16). — Hood  crossed 
the  Tennessee,  and  after  severe  fighting,  driving  Schofield's 
army  before  him,  shut  up  General  Thomas  within  the  fortifi- 
cations at  Nashville.  For  two  weeks  little  was  done.f  When 
Thomas  was  fully  ready,  he  suddenly  sallied  out  on  Hood, 
and  in  a  terrible  two  days'  battle  drove  the  Confederate  forces 
out  of  their  intrenchments  into  headlong  flight  The  Union 
cavalry  thundered  upon  their  heels  with  remorseless  energy. 
The  infantry  followed  closely  behind.  The  entire  Confederate 
army,  except  the  rear-guard,  which  fought  bravely  to  the  last, 
was  dissolved  into  a  rabble  of  demoralized  fugitives,  which  at 
last  escaped  across  the  Tennessee.  J 

The  Effect. — For  the  first  time  in  the  war  an  army  was  de- 
stroyed. The  object  which  Sherman  hoped  to  obtain  when  he 
moved  on  Atlanta  was  accomplished  by  Thomas,  three  hun- 
dred miles  away.  Sherman  could  now  go  where  he  pleas  3d 
with  little  danger  of  meeting  a  foe.  The  war  at  the  West,  so 
far  as  any  great  movements  were  concerned,  was  finished. 


*  Hood's  expectation  was  that  Sherman  would  follow  him  into  Tennessee,  and 
thus  Georgia  be  saved  from  invasion .  Sherman  had  no  such  idea.  "  If  Hood  will  go 
there,"  said  he,  "I  will  give  him  rations  to  go  with."  Now  was  presented  the  sin- 
gular spectacle  of  these  two  armies,  which  had  been  so  lately  engaged  in  deadly  com- 
bat,  marching  from  each  other  as  fast  as  they  could  go. 

t  Great  disappointment  was  felt  at  the  North  over  the  retreat  to  Nashville,  and  still 
more  at  Thomas's  delay  in  that  city.  Grant  ordered  him  to  move,  and  had  actually 
started  to  take  charge  of  his  troops  in  person,  when  he  learned  of  the  splendid  vic- 
tory his  slow  but  sure  general  had  achieved. 

$  The  weather  was  cold  and  rainy,  the  roads  were  trampled  into  almost  bottomless 
mud,  the  creeks  swollen  to  torrents,  and  the  Confederates  had  burned  the  bridges  in 
their  retreat 


1864.]  EPOCH    V.  259 

Sherman's  March  to  the  Sea — Breaking  loose  from  hi3 
communications  with  Nashville,  and  burning  the  city  of  At- 
lanta, Sherman  started  (November  16)  with  sixty  thousand 
men.  The  army  moved  in  four  columns,  with  a  cloud  of  cav- 
alry under  Kilpatrick,*  and  skirmishers  in  front  to  disguise 
its  route,  f  The  wings .  destroyed  the  Georgia  Central  and 
Augusta  Railroads,  and  the  troops  foraged  on  the  country 
as  they  passed.  In  five  weeks  they  had  marched  three  hundred 
miles,  reached  the  sea, J  stormed  Fort  McAllister,  and  captured 
Savannah.§ 

The  Effect  of  this  march  can  hardly  be  over-estimated.  A 
fertile  region,  sixty  miles  wide  and  three  hundred  long,  was 
desolated ;  three  hundred  miles  of  railroad  were  destroyed ; 
the  eastern  portion  of  the  already  sundered  Confederacy  was 
again  cut  in  twain ;  immense  supplies  of  provisions  were  cap- 
tured, and  the  hardships  of  war  brought  home  to  those  who 
had  heretofore  been  exempt  from  its  actual  contact. 

*  The  ubiquity  of  the  cavalry  movements  of  the  war  is  remarkable.  In  the  Feb- 
ruary preceding,  Kilpatrick,  who  now  opened  up  the  way  for  Sherman's  march 
through  Georgia,  made  a  dash  with  the  cavalry  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac 
to  rescue  the  Union  prisoners  at  Richmond.  He  got  within  the  defences  of  the 
city,  but  not  fully  appreciating  his  success,  withdrew,  while  Colonel  Ulric  Dahlgren, 
who  headed  a  co-operating  force,  through  the  ignorance  or  treachery  of  his  guide,  lost 
his  route,  was  surrounded  by  the  enemy,  and  fell  in  an  attempt  to  cut  his  way  out. 
Great  damage  was  done  to  railroads  and  canals  near  Richmond.  These  various  raids 
had  little  effect,  however,  upon  the  issue  of  the  contest,  though  they  served  to  pro 
voke  the  bitter  enmity  of  both  sides. 

t  A  feint  which  Sherman  made  toward  Augusta  led  to  a  concentration  at  that  city 
of  all  the  cavalry  and  militia  called  out  to  dispute  his  progress.  The  real  direction 
of  his  march  was  not  discovered  until  he  had  entered  the  peninsula  between  the  Sa- 
vannah and  Ogeechee  rivers. 

$  The  first  news  received  at  the  North  from  Sherman  was  brought  by  three  scouts, 
who  left  the  Union  army  just  as  it  was  closing  in  on  Savannah.  They  hid  in  the  rice 
swamps  by  day  and  paddled  down  the  river  by  night.  Creeping  past  Fort  McAllister 
undiscovered,  they  were  picked  up  by  the  Federal  gunboats. 

§  Sherman  sent  the  news  of  its  capture  with  twenty-five  thousand  bales  of  cotton 
and  one  hundred  and  fifty  cannon,  to  President  Lincoln,  as  a  Christmas  present  to  the 
nation. 


260  UNITED    STATES    HISTORY.  [1864. 

THE    WAR    IN    VIRGINIA. 

Battle  of  the  Wilderness  (May  5,  6).  —  On  crossing 
the  Rapidan,  the  Union  army  plunged  into  the  Wilderness. 
While  their  columns  were  toiling  along  the  narrow  roads,  they 
were  suddenly  attacked  by  the  Confederate  army.*  The 
dense  forest  forbade  all  strategy.  There  was  none  of  the 
pomp  or  glory  of  war,  only  its  horrible  butchery.  The  ranks 
simply  dashed  into  the  woods.  Soon  came  the  patter  of 
shots,  the  heavy  rattle  of  musketry,  and  then  there  streamed 
back  the  wreck  of  the  battle — bleeding,  mangled  forms,  borne 
on  stretchers.  In  those  gloomy  shades,  dense  with  smoke, 
this  strangest  of  battles,  which  no  eye  could  follow,  marked 
only  by  the  shouts  and  volleys,  now  advancing,  now  receding, 
as  either  side  gained  or  lost,  surged  to  and  fro.  The  third 
day,  both  armies,  worn  out  by  this  desperate  struggle,  re- 
mained in  their  intrenchments.  Neither  side  had  been  con- 
quered. Grant  had  lost  twenty  thousand  men,  and  Lee  ten 
thousand.  It  was  generally  supposed  that  the  Federals 
would  retire  back  of  the  Eapidan.  Grant  thought  differently. 
He  quietly  gathered  up  his  army  and  pushed  it  by  the  Con- 
federate right  flank  toward  Spottsylvania  Court  House. 

Battle  of  Spottsylvania  (May  8-12). — Lee  detected  the 
movement,  and  hurried  a  division  to  head  off  the  Union 
advance.  When  Grant  reached  the  spot,  he  found  the  Con- 
federate army  planted  right  across  the  road,  barring  his  prog- 
ress. Five  days  of  continuous  manoeuvring!  and  fighting^ 

*  This  was  near  the  old  batUe-grotrad  of  Chancellors  ville,  and  just  a  year  and  two 
days  after  that  fierce  fight. 

t  During  this  time  the  sharpshooters  on  both  sides,  hidden  in  the  trees,  were  busy 
picking  off  officers.  On  the  9th.  General  Sedgwick  was  superintending  the  placing 
of  a  battery  in  the  front.  Seeing  a  man  dodging  a  ball,  he  rebuked  him,  saying, 
"  Pooh  !  they  can't  hit  an  elephant  at  this  distance."  At  that  moment  he  was  himself 
struck,  and  fell  dead. 

$  On  the  morning  of  the  12th,  Hancock's  corps,  hidden  by  a  dense  fog.  charged 
upon  the  Confederate  line,  broke  the  abattis,  surrounded  a  division,  and  took  three 


1864.] 


EPOCH    V. 


261 


having  given  little  advantage,  Grant  concluded  to  try  the  fa- 
vorite  movement  of  the  year,  and  turn  Lee's  right  flank  again  * 

Battle  of  Cold  Harbor 
(June  3).— Lee,  however, 
moving  on  the  inner  and 
shorter  line,  reached  the 
North  Anna  first  Here 
some  severe  fighting  oc- 
curred, when,  Grant  mov- 
ing to  flank  again,  Lee 
slipped  into  the  intrench- 
ments  of  Cold  Harbor.  At 
daybreak  a  general  assault 
was  made.  "  Twenty 
minutes  after  the  first  shot 
was  fired,  fully  ten  thousand 
Union  men  were  stretched 
writhing  on  the  sod  or  still 
and  calm  in  death,  while  the 
enemy's  loss  was  little*  over 
one  thousand."  The  army, 
weary  of  this  useless  slaugh- 
ter, refused  to  continue  the 
attackf 


GRANT'S  CAMPAIGN  AROUND  RICHMOND. 


thousand  prisoners,  including  two  generals.  So  complete  was  the  surprise,  that  the 
officers  were  captured  at  breakfast.  Lee,  however,  rallied,  and  the  fighting  was  so 
fierce  to  regain  this  lost  position,  that  it  is  said  "a  tree  eighteen  inches  in  diame- 
ter was  cut  in  two  by  the  bullets  which  struck  it."  Ten  thousand  men  fell  on  each 
side.  "  Men  in  hundreds,  killed  and  wounded  together,  were  piled  in  hideous  heaps 
— some  bodies,  which  had  lain  for  hours  under  the  concentric  fire  of  the  battle,  being 
perforated  with  wounds.  The  writhing  of  wounded  beneath  the  dead  moved  thece 
masses  at  times  ;  while  often  a  lifted  arm  or  a  quivering  limb  told  of  an  agony  not 
quenched  by  the  Lethe  of  death  around." 

*  It  was  during  this  terrible  battle  that  Grant,  determined  to  accomplish  bis  plan 
at  whatever  cost,  sent  his  famous  despatch,  "  I  propose  to  fight  it  out  on  this  line  if 
it  takes  all  summer."  It  took  all  summer,  and  winter  too. 

t  Grant  had  arranged,  in  the  general  plan  of  the  campaign,  for  three  co-operative 


262  UNITED    STATES    HISTORY.  [1864 

Attack  on  Petersburg. — Grant  now  rapidly  pushed  his 
army  over  the  James,  and  fell  upon  Petersburg ;  but  here 
again  Lee  was  ahead,  and  the  works  could  not  be  forced. 
Grant  was  therefore  compelled  to  throw  up  intrenchments 
and  sit  down  in  front  of  the  Confederate  lines.  The  cam- 
paign now  resolved  itself  into  a  siege  of  Eichmond,  with 
Petersburg  as  its  advanced  post. 

The  Effect. — The  campaign  had  cost  the  Union  army  at 
least  seventy  thousand  men,  and  the  Confederate  about  forty 
thousand.  The  weakened  capabilities  of  the  South  were  now 
fairly  pitted  against  the  almost  exhaustless  resources  of  the 
North.  Grant's  plan  was  to  keep  constantly  hammering 
Lee's  army,  conscious  that  it  was  the  last  hope  of  the  Con- 
federacy. The  idea  of  thus  annihilating  an  army  was  ter- 
rible, yet  it  seemed  the  only  way  of  closing  the  awful 
struggle. 

The  Siege  of  Richmond  continued  until  the  spring 
campaign  of  1865.  It  was  marked  by  two  important  events: 

1.  Mine  Explosion  (July  30). — From  a  hidden  ravine 
in  front  of  Petersburg,  a  mine  had  been  dug  underneath 

movements  to  attract  the  attention  and  divide  the  strength  of  the  Confederate  army 
before  Richmond :  1.  General  Sigel,  with  ten  thousand  men,  was  to  advance  up  the 
Shenandoah  Valley  and  threaten-  the  railroad  communication  with  Richmond.  He 
was,  however,  totally  routed  at  New  Market  (May  15).  General  Hunter,  who  super- 
seded him,  defeated  the  Confederates  at  Piedmont  (June  5),  but  pushing  on  to  Lyncb- 
burg  with  about  twenty  thousand  men,  he  found  it  too  strong,  and  prudently  retired 
into  quiet  repose  in  West  Virginia.  2.  On  the  night  that  the  Army  of  the  Potomac 
crossed  the  Rapidan,  General  Butler,  with  thirty  thousand  men,  ascended  the  James 
River,  under  the  protection  of  gunboats,  and  landed  at  Bermuda  Hundred.  After 
some  trifling  successes,  he  was  surprised  in  a  dense  fog  by  Beauregard,  who  had 
come  up  from  the  Carolinas  with  reinforcements,  and  was  driven  hack  into  his 
defences  with  very  considerable  loss.  Beauregard  drew  intrenchments  across 
the  narrow  strip  which  connected  Bermuda  Hundred  with  the  main  land,  and,  as 
Grant  tersely  said,  " hermetically  sealed  up"  the  Union  force  from  any  further  ad- 
vance. Thus  ended  both  these  movements  from  which  much  was  expected.  Butler's 
force  was  partly  withdrawn,  and  reached  Grant  just  before  the  Cold  Harbor  fight. 
8.  General  Sheridan,  while  the  army  was  at  Spottsylvania,  passed  in  the  rear  of  the 
Confederate  position ;  destroyed  miles  of  railroad ;  recaptured  four  hundred  prisoners 
en  route  ;  defeated  a  cavalry  force  with  the  loss  of  their  leader,  General  J.  E.  B.  Stuart, 
the  best  cavalry  officer  in  the  South  ;  captured  the  outer  defences  of  Richmond,  and 
then  returned  to  the  Union  army  in  time  to  take  part  in  the  battle  at  Cold  Harbor. 


1864.]  EPOCH    V.  263 

a  strong  Confederate  fort.  Just  at  dawn,  the  blast  of 
eight  thousand  pounds  of  powder  was  fired.  Huge  masses 
of  earth,  cannon,  and  the  garrison  of  three  hundred 
men,  rose  into  the  air,  and  then  fell  a  promiscuous  ruin. 
The  artillery  opened  along  the  line,  and  an  assaulting  col- 
umn rushed  forward.  But  it  stopped  in  the  crater  produced 
by  the  explosion.  The  Confederates,  rallying  from  the  con- 
fusion, began  to  rain  shell  and  ball  upon  the  seething  mass 
within  the  demolished  fort.  To  retreat  was  only  less  dan- 
gerous than  to  stay;  yet  thousands  jumped  out  of  this 
slaughter-pen  and  ran  headlong  back  to  the  Union  line. 
About  four  thousand  were  lost  in  this  ill-starred  affair. 

2.  Attack  upon  the  Weldon  Railroad  (August  18). — By 
threatening  Eichmond  upon  the  north,  Grant  induced  Lee 
to  move  troops  to  that  city  from  Petersburg.  The  opportu- 
nity was  at  once  seized,  and  the  Weldon  Railroad  captured. 
Lee,  aware  of  the  great  importance  of  that  means  of  commu- 
nication with  the  South,  for  several  days  made  most  desperate 
attempts  for  its  recovery.  They  were,  however,  unsuccessful, 
and  the  Union  lines  were  permanently  advanced  to  this 
point.* 

Early's  Raid. — Hunter's  retreat  (p.  262)  having  laid  open 
the  Shenandoah  Valley,  Lee  took  advantage  of  it  to  threaten 
"Washington,  hoping  thus  to  draw  off  Grant  from  the  siege 
of  Richmond.  General  Early,  with  twenty  thousand  men, 
accordingly  hurried  along  this  oft-traveled  route.  Defeating 
General  "Wallace  at  Monocacy  River,  he  appeared  before  Fort 
Stevens,  one  of  the  defences  of  Washington  (July  10).  Had 
he  rushed  by  forced  marches,  he  might  have  captured  the 

*  .An  attempt  was  made  by  Grant  when  he  first  swung  south  of  Richmond,  but  it 
was  signally  repulsed,  with  a  loss  of  nearly  four  thousand  men.  That  this  event  was 
not  mentioned  in  the  military  report,  and  has  not  received  a  specific  name,  shows  the 
enormous  proportions  the  war  had  now  assumed,  and  how  changed  it  was  from  the 
time  when  Big  Bethel  and  Ball's  Bluff  were  esteemed  great  battles. 


264 


UKITED     STATES     HISTORY. 


[1864 


city ;  but  he  stopped  a  day.  Reinforcements  having  now  ar- 
rived, he  was  forced  to  retreat,  and,  laden  with  booty,  he  rap- 
idly recrossed  the  Potomac.  Not  being  pursued,  he  returned, 
and  sent  a  party  of  cavalry  into  Pennsylvania.  They  entered 
Chambersburg,  and,  on  failing  to  obtain  a  ransom  of  $500,000 
in  gold,  burned  the  village,  and  escaped  safely  back  into  the 
Shenandoah. 

Sheridan's  Campaign. — Sheridan  was  now  put  in  com- 
mand of  all  the  troops  in  this  region.  He  defeated  Early  at 
Winchester  and  Fisher's  Hill,  and  in  a  week  destroyed  half 


SHERIDAN'S  ARRIVAL  AT  CEDAR  CREEK. 

his  army,  and  sent  the  rest  "  whirling  up  the  valley  of  the 
Shenandoah."  *  Early  was  quickly  reinforced,  and  return- 
ing during  Sheridan's  absence,  surprised  his  army  at  Cedar 
Creek  (October  19),  and  drove  it  in  confusion.  Sheridan 
arrived  at  this  critical  moment,f  ordered  an  immediate  ad- 

*  In  order  to  prevent  any  further  raids  upon  Washington  from  this  direction,  he 
devastated  the  valley  so  thoroughly  that  it  was  said  that,  "If  a  crow  wants  to  fly 
down  the  Shenandoah,  he  must  carry  his  provisions  with  him." 

t  Early's  attack  was  made  under  cover  of  a  dense  fog  and  the  darkness  of  the  early 
morning.  The  troops  were  driven  four  miles.  General  Wright,  the  Union  com- 


1864.]  EPOCH  V.  265 

vance,  and  attacking  the  Confederates,  now  busy  plundering 
the  captured  camp,  routed  them  with  tremendous  slaughter. 

The  Effect. — This  campaign,  of  only  a  month,  was  one 
of  the  most  brilliant  of  the  war.  Sheridan  lost  seventeen 
thousand  men,  but  he  had  virtually  destroyed  Early's  army. 
This  was  the  last  attempt  to  threaten  "Washington. 

Red  River  Expedition.* — A  joint  naval  and  land  expe- 
dition, under  the  command  of  General  Banks,  was  sent  up 
the  Red  Eiver  in  the  hope  of  destroying  the  Confederate 
authority  in  that  region  and  in  Texas.  Fort  de  Eussy  was 
taken  (March  14),  whence  Banks  moved  on  toward  Shreve- 
port.  The  line  of  march  became  extended  a  distance  of 
nearly  thirty  miles  along  a  single  road.  At  Sabine  Cross 
Roads  (April  8)  the  Confederate  forces,  under  General  Dick 
Taylor,  attacked  the  advance,  and  a  miniature  Bull  Run 
retreat  ensued.  The  Union  troops,  however,  rallied  at  Pleas- 
ant Hill,  and  the  next  day,  reinforcements  coming  up  from 
the  rear,  they  were  able  to  repulse  the  Confederates.  The 
army  thereupon  returned  to  New  Orleans,  f  and  Banks  was 
relieved  of  the  command. 

mander,  though  wounded,  still  remained  on  the  field,  and  managed  to  get  his  troops 
into  a  new  position  in  the  rear.  Sheridan  heard  the  cannonading  thirteen  miles 
away,  at  Winchester,  Knowing  the  importance  of  his  presence,  he  put  spurs  to  his 
coal-black  steed,  and  never  drew  rein  until,  his  horse  covered  with  foam,  he  dashed 
upon  the  battle-field.  Riding  down  the  lines,  he  shouted,  "  Turn,  boys,  turn ;  we're 
going  back."  Under  the  magnetism  of  his  presence,  the  fugitives  rallied,  and  fol- 
lowed him  to  the  fight  and  victory. 

*  Troops  having  been  sent  from  Vicksburg  to  join  the  Red  River  expedition, 
West  Tennessee  and  Kentucky  were  left  exposed  to  attack  from  the  Confederates. 
Forrest,  with  five  thousand  men,  captured  Union  City,  Tenn.,  with  its  garrison  of 
about  five  hundred  troops,  occupied  Hickman,  and  advanced  rapidly  upon  Paducah, 
Ky.  This,  protected  by  the  gunboats,  maintained  so  stout  a  defence,  that  For- 
rest retired.  Moving  south,  he  next  fell  upon  Fort  Pillow  (April  12).  His  men 
crept  along  under  shelter  of  a  ravine  until  very  near,  and  then  cha'rged  upon  the 
intrenchments.  Rushing  into  the  fort,  they  raised  the  cry  "No  quarter!"  "The 
Confederate  officers,"  says  Pollard,  "  lost  control  of  their  men,  who  were  maddened 
by  the  sight  of  negro  troops  opposing  them."  An  indiscriminate  slaughter  followed. 
Neither  age,  sex,  nor  color  was  spared.  Confederate  and  Union  accounts  of  this 
event  agree  In  the  narration  of  these  events. 

t  Porter,  who  commanded  the  gunboats  In  the  Red  River,  hearing  of  Banks'B 
12 


266  UNITED    STATES    HI  STORY.  [1864 

The  Effect — This  campaign  was  a  great  Confederate  tri- 
umph.* Banks  lost  five  thousand  men,  eighteen  guns,  and 
large  supplies. 


THE  WAR  ON  THE  SEA  AND  ON  THE  COAST. 

The  Expedition  against  Mobile  (August  5)  was  under 
the  command  of  Admiral  Farragut.  That  he  might  oversee 
the  battle  more  distinctly,  he  took  his  position  in  the  main- 
top of  his  flag-ship — the  Hartford.  The  vessels,  lashed  to- 
gether in  pairs  for  mutual  assistance,  in  an  hour  fought  their 
way  past  the  Confederate,  forts,  and  engaged  the  iron-clad 
fleet  beyond.  After  a  desperate  resistance,  the  great  iron  ram 
Tennessee  was  taken,  and  the  other  vessels  either  captured  or 
put  to  flight.  The  forts  were  soon  after  reduced,  and  the 
harbor  closed  against  blockade  runners,  f 

The  Expedition  against  Fort  Fisher,  which  defended 
the  harbor  of  Wilmington,  N.  C.,  was  commanded  by  Commo- 


retreat,  attempted  to  return  with  his  fleet,  but  the  river  fell  so  rapidly  that  this  be- 
came impossible.  It  was  feared  that  it  would  be  necessary  to  blow  up  the  vessels  to 
prevent  their  falling  into  the  enemy's  hands,  when,  by  the  happy  suggestion  of 
Colonel  Bailey,  formerly  a  Wisconsin  lumberman,  they  were  saved.  He  constructed 
a  series  of  wing-dams  below  the  rapids,  and  when  the  water  rose,  the  boats  were 
safely  floated  over.  This  skilful  expedient  was  almost  the  only  relieving  feature  of 
the  campaign,  which  was  believed  by  some  to  have  been  undertaken  simply  as  a 
gigantic  cotton  speculation,  in  behalf  of  certain  parties,  who  seemed  to  be  more  intent 
on  gathering  that  staple  than  on  conserving  the  interests  of  the  Union  cause.  The 
failure  was,  therefore,  at  the  North  a  source  of  great  mortification  and  reproach. 

*  General  Steele,  who  commanded  in  Arkansas,  had  moved  from  Little  Rock  to  co- 
operate in  this  advance,  but  on  nearing  Shreveport,  learned  of  Banks's  retreat.  He 
immediately  turned  around,  arfd  with  great  difficulty  and  severe  fighting,  managed  to 
escape  back  to  Little  Eock.  This  disaster  enabled  the  Confederates  to  recover 
half  of  the  State. 

t  The  City  of  Mobile  was  not  captured  until  the  next  year,  when  Generals  Gran- 
ger's, Steele's  and  A.  J.  Smith's  commands,  making  a  force  of  about  forty-five  thous- 
and men,  were  collected  by  General  Canby  for  this  purpose.  The  forts  were  gallantly 
defended  by  General  Maury,  but  were  taken  within  less  than  two  weeks.  The  city 
Itself  was  evacuated  April  11.  The  Union  troops  entered  the  next  day,  ignorant 
that  Lee  had  surrendered  three  days  before,  and  that  the  Confederacy  was  dead. 


1864.]  EPOCH     V.  267 

dore  Porter.  It  consisted  of  seventy  vessels  and  a  land  force 
under  General  Butler.*  After  a  fierce  bombardment  (Decem- 
ber 24, 25)  Butler  decided  that  the  fort  could  not  be  taken  by 
assault,  and  the  army  returned  to  Fortress  Monroe.  Commo- 
dore Porter,  dissatisfied  with  the  result,  lay  oif  the  place,  and 
asked  for  a  second  trial.  The  same  troops,  with  fifteen  hun- 
dred additional  men,  were  sent  back  under  General  Terry. 
Protected  by  a  terrible  fire  from  the  fleet,  a  column  of  sailors, 
and  one  of  soldiers,  worked  their  way,  by  a  series  of  trenches, 
within  two  hundred  yards  of  the  fort.  At  the  word,  the 
former  leaped  forward  on  one  side  and  the  latter  on  another. 
The  sailors  were  repulsed,  but  the  soldiers  burst  into  the  fort. 
The  hand-to-hand  fight  within  lasted  for  hours.  Late  at 
night,  the  garrison,  hemmed  in  on  all  sides,  surrendered  (Jan- 
uary 15,  1865).  One  knows  not  which  to  admire  the  more, 
the  gallantry  of  the  attack  or  the  heroism  of  the  defence, 
In  such  a  victory  is  glory,  and  in  such  a  defeat,  no  disgrace. 

The  Blockade  was  now  so  effectual  that  the  prices  of  all 
imported  goods  in  the  Confederate  States  were  fabulous.  Led 
by  the  enormous  profitsf  of  a  successful  voyage,  foreign  mer- 
chants were  constantly  seeking  to  run  the  gauntlet.  Their 
swift  steamers,  making  no  smoke,  long,  narrow,  low,  and  of  a 


*  "  It  was  intended  by  General  Grant  that  General  Weitzel  should  command  them. 
But  General  Butler,  through  whom,  as  the  superior  officer,  the  instructions  to 
Weitzel  were  given,  put  the  instructions  in  his  pocket,  and  went  himself.  General 
Grant  did  not  dream  that  Butler  would  take  command,  and  thought  that  he  went 
merely  to  see  the  explosion  of  a  boat  laden  with  powder,  which  he  had  prepared  at 
great  expense  and  delay,  as  if  fancying  that  the  mud  walls  of  Fort  Fisher  would  fall 
at  the  noise,  as  the  walls  of  Jericho  did  at  the  sound  of  Gideon's  trumpets.  On  the 
morning  of  the  24th  the  powder-boat  was  exploded  with  so  little  effect,  that  the  Con- 
federates did  not  know  the  object  of  it  until  they  were  informed  by  the  Northern 
newspapers." — Mrs.  WUlard. 

t  The  prices  obtained  in  Confederate  currency  were  extravagant.  Coffee  was  sold 
at  $50  and  salt  at  $1  per  pound  ;  ordinary  calico  brought  from  $30  to  $35  per  yard  ; 
Balmoral  boots  for  ladies  were  $250  a  pair,  and  French  gloves  from  $125  to  $175; 
Irish  linen  ranged  from  $50  to  $100  per  yard,  etc.  Dried  sage,  willow,  and  currant 
leaves  were  substituted  for  tea.  A  writer  from  there  as  early  as  November,  1862, 
eaid :  "  Pins  are  now  so  rare  that  we  pick  them  up  with  avidity  in  the  streets." 


268  UNITED    STATES    HISTORY.  [1864 

mud  color,  occasionally  escaped  the  vigilance  of  the  Federal 
squadron.    During  the  war,  it  is  said,  over  fifteen  hundred 
blockade  runners  were  taken  or  destroyed.    With  the  capture 
of  Fort  Fisher,  the  last  Confederate  port  of  entry  was  sealed. 
Confederate    Cruisers  had  now  practically  driven  the 
American  commerce  from  the  ocean.  They  were  not  privateers, 
like  those  named  on  p.  222,  for  they  were  built  in  England  and 
manned  by  British  sailors,  and  were  only  officered  and  commis- 
sioned   by  the    Con- 

f-^  federate   government. 

5-  They    sailed  to    and 
fro  upon  the  track  of 
y  American  ships,  plun- 
dering and  burning, 
•.  or  else  bonding  them 
for  heavy  sums.    The 
X  THE  ALABAMA.  ^  Idbamci  was  the  most 

noted  of  these  British  steamers.  Against  the  urgent  remon- 
strances of  the  United  States  Minister  at  the  Court  of 
England,  she  was  allowed  to  sail  although  her  mission  was 
well  known.  An  English  captain  took  her  to  the  Azores, 
where  other  English  vessels  brought  her  arms,  ammunition, 
and  the  Confederate  Captain  Semmes  with  additional  crew. 
Putting  out  to  sea,  he  read  his  commission  and  announced 
his  purpose.  After  capturing  over  sixty  vessels,  he  sailed  to 
Cherbourg,  France.  While  there,  he  sent  out  a  challenge  to 
the  national  ship-of-war  Kearsarge  (keer'-sarj).  This  was  ac- 
cepted, and  a  battle  took  place  off  that  harbor.  Captain  Win- 
slow,  of  the  Kearsarge,  so  manceuvered  that  the  Alabama  was 
compelled  to  move  round  in  a  circular  track,  while  he  trained 
his  guns  upon  her  with  fearful  effect  On  the  seventh  rota- 
tion, the  Confederate  vessel  ran  up  the  white  flag  and  soon 
after  sank.  Captain  Winslow  rescued  a  part  of  the  sinking 


1864.]  EPOCH    V.  269 

crew,  and,  at  his  request,  the  rest  were  picked  up  by  the  Deer- 
hound,  an  English  yacht.  The  latter,  however,  steamed  off  to 
the  British  coast  with  those  she  had  saved,  among  whom 
was  Captain  Semmes. 

The  Sanitary  and  Christian  Commissions  were 
"splendid  examples  of  organized  mercy,"  furnished  by  the 
people  of  the  North.  They  devised  and  provided  every  possi- 
ble comfort  for  the  sick  and  wounded,  besides  distributing  re- 
ligious reading  to  every  soldier  in  the  field.  Ambulances, 
stretchers,  hot  coffee,  postage-stamps,  paper  and  envelopes, 
prayer-meetings,  medicines,  Christian  burial — no  want  of  body 
or  soul  was  overlooked.  "Homes"  and  "Lodges"  for  men  on 
sick  leave ;  for  those  not  yet  under  or  just  out  of  the  care  of 
the  government,  or  who  had  been  left  by  their  regiments,  were 
instituted.  "Feeding  Stations"  for  the  tired  and  hungry  were 
established,  and  even  "Homes  for  the  Wives,  Mothers,  and 
Children  of  Soldiers"  who  had  come  to  visit  their  sick  or 
wounded.  On  every  flag-of-truce  boat  were  placed  clothing, 
medicines,  and  cordials  to  meet  prisoners  who  had  been  ex- 
changed. With  boundless  mercy  they  cared  for  all  while  liv- 
ing, and  gave  Christian  burial  and  marked  graves  to  the  dead. 
Over  seventeen  millions  of  dollars  in  money  and  supplies  were 
expended  by  these  two  Commissions. ' 

Political  Affairs. — At  the  North,  there  was  much  dissatis- 
faction with  the  conduct  of  the  war.  The  debt  had  become 
about  $2,000,000,000.  In  July  of  this  year,  paper  money 
reached  its  greatest  depreciation,  and  it  required  two  dollars 
and  ninety  cents  in  greenbacks  to  buy  one  dollar  in  gold.  It 
was  at  the  time  of  Grant's  repulse  from  Cold  Harbor  and  of  Ear- 
ly*s  raid.  Yet,  in  the  midst  of  these  discouragements,  Abraham 
Lincoln  was  renominated  by  the  republican  party.  George  B. 
McClellan  was  the  democratic  candidate.  He  stood  firmly 
for  the  prosecution  of  the  war,  and  the  maintenance  of  the 


270  UNITED     STATES     HISTOET.  [1864. 

Union,  but  was  not  in  full  sympathy  with  the  policy  of  the 
administration.  He  carried  only  three  States.  Lincoln  had  a 
popular  majority  of  over  four  hundred  thousand. 

General  Review  of  the  Fourth  Year  of  the  "War. — 
The  Confederates  had  gained  the  battles  of  Olustee,*  Sabine 
Cross  Eoads,  the  Wilderness,  Bermuda  Hundred,  Spottsylva- 
nia,  New  Market,  Cold  Harbor,  and  Monocacy ;  had  defeated 
the  expeditions  into  Florida  and  the  Red  Eiver  country,  the 
two  attacks  upon  Petersburg,  and  one  against  Fort  Fisher,  and 
yet  held  Grant  at  bay  before  Richmond.  They  had,  however, 
lost  ground  on  every  side.  Of  the  States  east  of  the  Mississippi, 
only  North  and  South  Carolina  were  fully  retained.  Missis- 
sippi, Alabama,  Tennessee,  Virginia,  Georgia  and  Florida 
were  overrun  by  the  Union  armies.  The  Federals  had  gained 
the  battles  of  Pleasant  Hill,  Kesaca,  Dallas,  Kenesaw,  At- 
lanta, Winchester,  Fisher's  Hill,  Cedar  Creek  and  Nashville. 
They  had  captured  Fort  de  Hussy,  the  forts  in  Mobile  harbor, 
and  Fort  McAllister,  and  had  taken  Atlanta  and  Savannah. 
Sherman  had  swept  across  Georgia ;  Sheridan  had  devastated 
the  Shenandoah,  driving  its  defenders  before  him ;  Thomas 
had  annihilated  Hood's  army ;  Grant  held  Lee  firmly  grasped 
at  Richmond,  and  the  navy  swept  the  entire  coast 


1865. 

The  Situation. — The  plan  of  the  campaign  was  very  sim- 
ple. The  end  of  the  war  was  clearly  at  hand.  Sherman  was 
to  move  north  from  Savannah  against  Johnston,  and  then  join 


*  This  battle  ended  an  expedition  fitted  out  by  General  Gillmore,  at  Hilton  Head 
S.  C.,  to  recover  Florida.  After  some  success  his  troops,  under  General  Seymour, 
advanced  to  Olustee,  where  (February  20)  they  met  a  disastrous  defeat  and  were 
forced  to  relinquish  much  they  had  gained.  The  men  were  afterward  taken  to  Vir- 
ginia to  engage  in  more  important  work. 


EPOCH     V. 


271 


Grant  in  the  final  attack  upon  Lee.  Sheridan,  with  ten  thou- 
sand troopers,  had  swept  down  from  the  Shenandoah,  cut  the 
railroads  north  of  Eichmond,  and  taken  his  place  in  the  Union 
lines  before  Petersburg.  "Wilson,  with  thirteen  thousand  horse- 
men, rode  at  large  through  Alabama  and  Georgia,  and  at  Ma- 
con  held  a  line  of  retreat  from  Virginia  westward.  Stoneman, 
with  five  thousand  cavalry  from  Tennessee,  poured  through 
the  passes  of  the  Alleghanies  and  waited  in  .North  Carolina  for 
the  issue  in  Virginia. 


SHERMAN  S   MARCH. 


Sherman's  March  through    the   Carolinas.— In    the 

meantime  Sherman  had  given  his  troops  only  a  month's  rest 
in  Savannah.  Early  in  February,  they  were  put  in  motion 
northward.  There  was  no  waiting  for  roads  to  dry  nor  for 
bridges  to  be  built,  but  the  troops  swept  on  like  a  tornado. 


272  UNITED    STATES    HISTOKY.  [1865. 

Rivers  were  waded,  and  one  battle  was  fought  while  the  water 
was  up  to  the  shoulders  of  the  men.  The  army,  sixty  thousand 
strong,  moved  in  four  columns,  \y,ith  a  front  of  more  than  fifty 
miles.  Cavalry  and  foragers  swarmed  on  the  flanks.  Before 
them  was  terror ;  behind  them  were  ashes. 

Columbia*  was  captured  (February  17),  and  Charleston,! 
thus  threatened  in  the  rear,  was  evacuated  the  next  day.  In 
this  emergency,  Johnston  was  again  called  to  the  command  of 
the  Confederate  forces.  He  gathered  their  scattered  armies 
and  vigorously  opposed  Sherman's  advance.  After  fierce  en- 
gagements at  Averysboro  and  Bentonville  (March  15,  18), 
he  was  driven  back,  and  Raleigh  was  captured  (April  13). 

Siege  of  Richmond. — Lee's  position  was  fast  becoming 
desperate.  His  only  hope  lay  in  getting  out  of  Richmond  and 
joining  with  Johnston.  Their  united  armies  might  prolong 
the  struggle.  Grant  was  determined  to  prevent  this,  and  com- 
pel Lee  to  surrender,  as  Pemberton  had  done. 

Attack  on  Fort  Steadman  (March  25). — Lee  determined 
to  attack  Grant's  right,  in  order  to  hide  his  plan  of  retreat, 
and  especially  in  the  hope  that  Grant  would  send  troops  from 
the  left  to  succor  the  threatened  point  In  that  case,  he  would 
slip  out,  with  the  main  body  of  his  army,  by  the  nearest  road 

*  The  cotton  stored  in  the  city  was  scattered  throughout  the  streets  and  destroyed 
by  fire.  The  flames  quickly  spread  to  the  houses  adjoining.  All  efforts  to  subdue 
the  conflagration  were  unsuccessful.  A  large  portion  of  the  city  was  destroyed. 

t  General  Hardee,  on  leaving,  inflicted  a  terrible  injury.  He  set  fire  to  every  shed 
and  warehouse  where  cotton  was  stored.  The  flames  spread  to  a  quantity  of  powder 
in  the  depot,  which  exploded  with  fearful  destruction.  Two  hundred  lives  were 
lost.  In  spite  of  the  efforts  of  the  Union  troops,  a  vast  amount  of  private  property 
was  involved  in  the  general  devastation.  The  ravages  which  the  war  had  made  were 
well  illustrated  by  the  appearance  of  this  city  after  its  evacuation.  An  eye-witness 
says:  "No  pen,  no  pencil,  no  tongue  can  do  justice  to  the  scene;  no  imagination 
can  conceive  the  utter  wreck,  the  universal  ruin,  the  stupendous  desolation.  Ruin, 
ruin,  ruin,  above  and  below,  on  the  right  hand  and  on  the  left— ruin,  ruin,  ruin, 
everywhere  and  always,  staring  at  us  from  every  paneless  window,  looking  out  at  ua 
from  every  shell-torn  wall,  glaring  at  us  from  every  battered  door,  pillar,  and  ve- 
randa, crouching  beneath  our  feet  on  every  sidewalk.  Not  Pompeii,  nor  Hercula- 
neum,  nor  Tadmor,  nor  the  Nile  has  ruins  so  saddening,  so  plaintively  eloquent." 


1806.1  EPOCH   v.  273 

southward,  which  ran  close  by  the  Union  left.  The  assault 
was  made  on  Fort  Steadman.  It  was  a  signal  failure.  Three 
thousand  out  of  five  thousand  engaged  in  the  attempt  were 
lost.  To  make  matters  worse,  a  Union  assault  followed 
directly  afterward,  and  a  portion  of  the  Confederate  outer  de- 
fences were  captured.  Thus  Grant's  grip  was  only  tightened. 
Grant  had  made  no  change  in  the  position  of  his  troops,  and 
this  sortie  had  neither  hastened  nor  delayed  the  grand,  final 
attack. 

Battle  of  Five  Forks  (April  1). — This  movement  began 
Wednesday  morning,  March  29.  Sheridan  with  his  cavalry — 
nine  thousand  sabres — and  heavy  columns  of  infantry,  pushed 
out  from  Grant's  left  wing  to  get  around  in  Lee's  rear.  Cloaking 
his  plan  by  a  thick  screen  of  cavalry,  to  conceal  the  move- 
ments of  his  infantry,  he  threw  a  heavy  force  behind  the  Con- 
federate position  at  Five  Forks.*  Assailed  in  front  and  rear, 
the  garrison  was  overwhelmed,  and  five  thousand  were  taken 
prisoners. 

The  Effect  of  this  brilliant  affair  was  at  once  to  render 
Lee's  position  untenable.  His  right  was  turned,  and  his  rear 
threatened. 

Capture  of  Petersburg  and  Richmond  (April  2,  3). — 
The  next  morning,  at  four  o'clock,  the  Union  army  advanced 
in  an  overwhelming  assault  along  the  whole  front.  By 
noon,  the  Confederate  line  of  intrenchments  before  which  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac  had  lain  so  long  was  broken,  and  thou- 
sands of  prisoners  were  captured,  f  That  night  Petersburg 
and  Eichmond  were  evacuated.  The  next  morning  the  Union 

*  Five  Forks  is  situated  twelve  miles  southwest  from  Petersburg. 

t  Generals  Lee  and  A.  P.  Hill  were  at  the  former's  headquarters,  within  the  city, 
discussing  the  prospects  of  the  day.  Suddenly  General  Lee,  listening,  said  to  Hill, 
''General,  your  men  are  giving  way."  Instantly  Hill  was  mounted  and  dashing 
down  the  road.  As  he  was  spurring  his  steed,  he  caught  a  glimpse  of  two  or  three 
blue  coats,  with  rifles  levelled  at  him.  "  Throw  down  your  arms  1"  he  authoritatively 
cried.  For  an  instant  the  men  hesitated,  but  the  next  moment  the  clang  of  their 
pieces  was  heard,  and  General  Hill  fell  dead. 


274  UNITED    STATES    HISTORY.  [1865. 

troops  took  possession  of  the  Confederate  capital,*  the  coveted 
goal  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  for  four  long  bloody  years. 
A  Lee's  Surrender. — Lee,  with  forty  thousand  men,  the 
wreck  of  that  proud  array  with  which  he  had  dealt  the  Union 
army  so  many  crushing  blows,  hurried  west,  seeking  some 
avenue  of  escape.  Grant  urged  the  pursuit  with  untiring 
.energy.  Sheridan,  "with  a  terrible  daring  which  knew  no 
pause,  no  rest,"  hung  on  his  flanks.  The  Confederates  had  only 
the  young  shoots  of  trees  to  eat  Men  were  deserting  by  hun- 
dreds. If  they  sought  a  moment's  repose,  they  were  awakened 
by  the  clatter  of  pursuing  cavalry.  Lee,  like  a  hunted  fox, 
turned  hither  and  thither ;  but  at  last  Sheridan  planted  him- 
self squarely  across  the  front  Lee  ordered  a  charge.  The 
half -starved  troops,  with  a  rallying  of  their  old  courage, 
obeyed.  But  the  cavalry  moving  aside,  as  a  curtain  is  drawn, 
revealed  dense  bodies  of  infantry  in  battle  line.  The  Civil 
War  was  about  to  end  in  one  of  its  bloodiest  tragedies,  when 
the  Confederate  advance  was  stopped.  General  Grant  had 
already  sent  in  a  note  demanding  the  surrender  of  the  army. 

*  Sunday,  the  day  before,  the  Confederate  President,  Davis,  was  at  chnrch,  when  a 
note  was  handed  him  by  a  messenger.  It  was  from  Lee,  informing  him  that  the  Con- 
federate army  was  about  to  leave  Richmond.  His  pallid  face  and  unsteady  footsteps, 
as  he  passed  out,  betrayed  the  news.  Pollard  says:  "Men,  women,  and  children 
rushed  from  the  churches,  passing  from  lip  to  lip  news  of  the  impending  fall  of  Rich- 
mond. ...  It  was  late  in  the  afternoon  when  the  signs  of  evacuation  became 
apparent  to  the  incredulous.  Suddenly,  as  if  by  magic,  the  streets  became  filled  with 
men,  walking  as  though  for  a  wager,  and  behind  them  excited  negroes  with  trunks, 
bundles,  and  luggage  of  every  description.  All  over  the  city,  it  was  the  same- 
wagons,  trunks,  bandboxes,  and  their  owners,  a  mass  of  hurrying  fugitives  filling  the 
streets.  Night  came,  and  with  it  confusion  worse  confounded.  There  was  no  sleep 
for  human  eyes  in  Richmond  that  night.  About  the  hour  of  midnight,  hundreds  of 
barrels  of  liquor  were  rolled  into  the  street,  and  the  heads  knocked  in,  by  order  of  the 
City  Council,  to  prevent  a  worse  disorder.  As  the  work  progressed,  some  straggling 
soldiers'  managed  to  get  hold  of  a  quantity  of  the  liquor.  From  that  moment  law  and 
order  ceased  to  exist."  By  order  of  General  Ewell,  the  four  principal  tobacco  ware- 
houses, in  different  parts  of  the  city,  were  fired,  and  soon  the  flames  became  unman- 
ageable. "  Morning  broke  upon  a  scene  such  -as  those  who  witnessed  it  can  never 
forget.  The  roar  of  an  immense  conflagration  sounded  in  their  ears ;  tongues  of 
flame  leaped  from  street  to  street;  and  in  this  baleful  glare  were  to  be  seen,  as  of 
demons,  the  figures  of  busy  plunderers,  moving,  pushing,  rioting  through  the  black 
emobe,  bearing  away  every  conceivable  sort  of  plunder." 


1865.]  EPOCH    V.  275 

Lee  now  accepted  the  generous  terms*  proposed.  Near  Appo- 
mattox  Court  House,  April  9,  the  remains  of  the  Army  of 
Virginia  laid  down  their  arms  and  turned  homeward,  no  longer 
Confederate  soldiers,  but  American  citizens. 

The  U/ect.—This  closed  the  war.  The  other  Confederate 
armies — Johnston's,  Dick  Taylor's,  and  Kirby  Smith's — 
promptly  surrendered.  Jefferson  Dayis  fled  southward, 
hoping  to  escape,  but  was  overtaken  near  Irwinsville,  Georgia 
(May  11),  and  sent  a  prisoner  to  Fortress  Monroe, 

Cost  of  the  War. — In  the  Union  armies  probably  three 
hundred  thousand  men  were  killed  in  battle  or  died  of 
wounds  or  disease,  while  doubtless  two  hundred  thousand 
more  were  crippled  for  life.  If  the  Confederate  armies  suf- 
fered as  heavily,  the  country  thus  lost  one  million  able- 
bodied  men.  The  Union  debt,  Jan.  1,  1866,  was  nearly 
$2,750,000,000.  At  one  time,  the  daily  expenses  reached  the 
sum  of  $3,500,000.  During  the  last  year  of  the  war,  the  ex- 
penses were  greater  than  the  entire  expenditures  of  the  gov- 
ernment from  Washington  to  Buchanan.  The  Confederate 
war  debts  were  never  paid,  as  that  government  was  over- 
thrown. 

Assassination  of  Lincoln. — In  the  midst  of  the  uni- 
versal rejoicings  over  the  advent  of  peace,  on  the  evening  of 
April  14  the  intelligence  was  flashed  over  the  country  that 


*  The  officers  and  men  were  allowed  to  go  home  on  their  paroles  not  to  take  up 
arms  against  the  United  States  until  exchanged,  and  the  former  to  retain  their  pri- 
vate haggage  and  horses.  After  the  surrender  had  heen  concluded,  General  Lea  said 
that  he  had  forgotten  to  mention  that  many  of  his  soldiers  rode  their  own  horses. 
Grant  at  once  replied  that  such  should  keep  their  horses  to  aid  them  in  their  future 
work  at  home. — That  the  two  armies  so  fiercely  opposed  for  four  years  could  have 
parted  with  no  words  hut  those  of  sympathy  and  respect  was  an  assured  presage  of 
a  day  when  all  the  wounds  of  the  restored  Union  should  he  faQy  healed.  Within  six 
months  General  Lee  accepted  the  presidency  of  the  State  college  at  Lexington,  where 
he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  days  in  simple,  earnest  endeavor  to  make  those  under 
his  charge  worthy  of  the  Union  against  which  he  had  fought  so  long  and  bitterly.  To 
a  woman,  widowed  in  the  war,  who,  on  hringing  her  sons  to  school,  hurst  into  in- 
vective against  the  North,  he  said:  "  Madam,  do  not  train  up  your  children  in  hos- 
tility to  the  Government  of  the  United  States.  Rememher,  we  are  one  country  now. 
Pray,  dismiss  all  iectional  feeling,  and  hring  them  up,  above  all,  to  h«  Americans." 


276 


UNITED    STATES    HISTORY. 


Lincoln  had  been  assassinated.*  He  was  shot  while  seated, 
in  company  with  his  wife  and  friends,  in  his  bo£  at  Ford's 
Theatre,  by  John  Wilkes  Booth,  f  who  insanely  imagined  he 


ASSASSINATION   OF   PRESIDENT   LINCOLN. 

was  ridding  his  country  of  a  tyrant.  About  the  unconscious 
body  of  the  President  gathered  the  most  prominent  men  of 
the  nation,  who  mourned  and  watched,  waiting  in  vain  for 

*  A  nearly  fatal  attempt  was  also  made  at  the  same  time  upon  William  H.  Seward, 
Secretary  of  State,  who  was  lying  sick  in  his  bed  at  home. 

t  Booth  stealthily  entered  the  box,  fastened  the  door,  that  he  might  not  be  fol- 
lowed, shot  the  President,  then  waving  his  pistol,  shouted,  "  Sic  Semper  Tyrannis  " 
(so  be  it  to  tyrants),  and  leaped  to  the  stage  in  front.  As  he  jumped,  the  American 
Cag  draped  before  the  box— mute  avenger  of  the  nation's  chief— caught  his  spur, 
and,  throwing  him  heavily,  broke  his  leg.  The  assassin,  however,  escaped  from  the 
house  in  the  confusion,  mounted  a  horse  which  was  waiting  for  him,  and  fled  into 
Maryland.  He  was  at  length  overtaken  in  a  barn,  where  he  stood  at  bay.  The  build- 
ing was  fired  to  drive  him  out,  but,  still  determined  to  defend  himself  against  arrest, 
he  was,  at  last,  shot  by  one  of  the  soldiers.  The  accomplices  of  Booth  were  arrested, 
tried  and  convicted,  Harrold,  Payne,  Atzerott  and  Mrs.  Surratt  were  hung ;  Arnold, 
Mudd  and  McLaughlifl  imprisoned  tor  life,  and  Spanglerwas  sentenced  for  six  years. 


1865.]  EPOCH    V.  277 

some  sign,  until  the  next  morning,  when  he  died.  The 
funeral  was  held  on  the  19th.  It  was  a  day  of  mourning 
throughout  the  land.  In  all  the  cities  and  in  most  of  the 
smaller  towns  funeral  orations  were  pronounced.  The  body 
was  borne  to  Springfield  over  the  same  route  along  which  he 
had  come  as  President  elect  to  Washington.  The  procession 
maybe  said  to  have  extended  the  entire  distance.  The  churches, 
principal  buildings,  and  even  the  engines  and  cars  were  draped 
in  black.  Almost  every  citizen  wore  the  badge  of  mourning. 

States  Added  during  this  Epoch. —  West  Virginia, 
the  thirty-fifth  State,  was  admitted  to  the  Union  June  20, 
1863.  During  the  Civil  War,  this  portion  of  Virginia  re- 
maining loyal,  it  was  incorporated  as  a  separate  State. 

Nevada,  the  thirty -sixth  State,  was  admitted  to  the  Union 
October  31,  1864.  Its  name  was  derived  from  the  range  of 
mountains  on  the  east,  the  Sierra  Nevada,  a  Spanish  title, 
signifying  "  Snow-covered  mountains."  It  was  the  third  State 
carved  out  of  the  territory  acquired  by  the  Mexican  war,  Texas 
being  the  first,  and  California  the  second.  Its  first  settlement 
was  at  Carson  City.  It  is  one  of  the  richest  mineral  States  in 
the  Union. 


Summary  of  the  History  of  the  Fifth  JZpoch,  arranged 
in  Chronological  Order. 

PAGE 

1861.  Abraham  Lincoln  inaugurated  President  of  United  States, 

March  4, "...  .215 


Fort  Sumter  fired  upon,  April  12,     . 
Lincoln  called  for  75,000  volunteers,  April  15,  . 
Confederates  seized  Harper's  Ferry,  April  18,  . 
Massachusetts  troops  fired  upon  in  Baltimore,  April 
Confederates  seized  Norfolk  Navy  Yard.  April  20, 
Battle  of  Philippi,  Va.,  June  3,  . 
"       Big  Bethel,  Va.,  June  10, 


.  216 

.  217 

.  217 

19,  .  217 

.  217 

.  218 

.  218 


Booneville,  Mo.,  June  17 221 

Carthage,  Mo.,  July  5, 221 


278  UNITED    STATES    HISTORY. 

FAGH 

1861.  Battle  of  Rich  Mountain,  Va.,  July  11,       ....    218 

"       Carrick's  Ford,  Va.,  July  14,        .        .        .        .218 
Confederate  Congress  assembled  at  Richmond,  Va.,  July 

20, 217 

Battle  of  Bull  Run,  Va.,  July  21, 219 

Wilson's  Creek,  Mo.,  August  10,          .        .        .221 

Forts  at  Hatteras  Inlet,  N.  C.,  captured,  August  29,          .    222 

Battle  of  Carnifex  Ferry,  Va.,  September  10,    .        .        .     218 

Lexington,  Mo.,  September  20,    .        .        .        .221 

«       BaU's  Bluff,  Va.,  October  21,        .        .        .        .220 

Port  Royal,  S.  C.,  taken,  November  7,  .        .        .222 

Battle  of  Belmont,  Mo.,  November  7,         ....    221 

Seizure  of  Mason  and  Slidell,  November  8,        ...    222 

Skirmish  of  Dranesville,  Va.,  December  20,      .        .        .    221 

1862.  Battle  of  Mill -Spring,  Ky.,  January  19,      .        .        .        .224 
Fort  Henry,  Tenn.,  taken,  February  6,       .        .        .        .224 
Roanoke  Island,  N.  C.,  taken,  February  8,         ...    232 
Fort  Donelson,  Tenn.,  taken,  February  16,         ...    225 
Battle  of  Pea  Ridge,  Ark.,  March  7,  8,       .        .        .        .230 

"  of  the  Monitor  and  the  Merrimac,  March  9,  .  .234 

Newbern,  N.  C.,  taken,  March  14, 232 

Battle  of  Shiloh  (Pittsburg  Landing),  Tenn.,  April  6,  7,  .  225 

Island  No.  10  captured,  April  7, 227 

Fort  Pulaski,  Ga.,  captured,  April  11,  ....  233 

New  Orleans  captured,  April  25, 230 

Beaufort,  S.  C.,  captured,  April  25, 232 

Torktown,  Va.,  taken,  May  4, 235 

Battle  of  Williamsburg,  Va.,  May  5, 236 

Norfolk,  Va.,  surrendered,  May  10, 235 

Corinth,  Miss.,  taken,  May  30, 227 

Battle  of  Fair  Oaks  or  Seven  Pines,  Va.,  May  31,  June  1,  238 
Lee  assumed  command  of  Confederate  armies,  June  3,  .  238 
Memphis,  Tenn.,  surrendered,  June  6,  ....  227 
Seven  Days'  battles,  June  25-July  1,  ....  239 
Battle  of  Cedar  Mountain,  Va.,  August  9,  .  .  .240 
Second  Battle  of  Bull  Run,  Va.,  August  29,  .  .  .241 
Battle  of  Richmond,  Ky.,  August  30,  ....  228 

Chantilly,  Va.,  September  1,        .        .        .        .241 

South  Mountain,  Md.,  September  14, .  .  .  241 
Harper's  Ferry  surrendered,  September  15,  ...  241 
Battle  of  Antietam,  Md.,  September  17,  .  .  .242 

luka,  Miss.,  September  19, 228 

"  Corinth,  Miss.,  October  4, 228 

Perryville,  Ky.,  October  8,  ...  .228 


EPOCH  v.  279 


PAGE 

1862.  Battle  of  Fredericksburg,  Va.,  December  13,     .        .        .243 
First  attack  on  Vicksburg,  Miss.,  December  29,         ...    230 
Battle  of  Murfreesboro,  Term.,  December  31,  and  January 

2,1863, 229 

1863.  Emancipation  Proclamation,  January  1,.    .        .        .     242, 244 

Arkansas  Post  taken,  January  11,      .         .        .     ,  .        .    230 
Fort  Sumter,  S.  C.,  bombarded  by  fleet,  April  7,      .        .    254 
Grant's  campaign  before  Vicksburg,  May  1-17,        .        .     244 
Battle  of  Chancellorsville,  Va.,  May  2,  3,          ...    250 
West  Virginia  admitted  to  Union,  June  20,       .        .     218,277 
Battle  of  Gettysburg,  Penn.,  July  1-3,        .        .        .        .252 

Vicksburg,  Miss.,  surrendered,  July  4,        ....    245 

Port  Hudson  surrendered,  July  8,      .        ...      .        .        .246 

Draft  Riot  in  New  York  City,  July  13-16,.        .        .        .252 

Fort  Wagner,  S.  C.,  taken,  September  7,   .        .        .        .254 

Battle  of  Cliickamauga,  Ga.,  September  19,  20,          .        .    247 

"       Chattanooga,  Tenn.,  November  24, 25,         .        .  247 

Siege  of  Knoxville,  Tenn.,  raised,  December  3,        .  .        .  250 

1864.  Battle  of  Olustee,  Fla.,  February  20, 270 

Grant  made  Lieutenant-General,  March  3,         ...  255 

Fort  de  Russy  captured,  March  14, 265 

Fort  Pillow,  Tenn.,  captured,  April  12,      ....  265 
Butler  landed  at  Bermuda  Hundred,  May  5,      .        .        .262 

Battle  of  Wilderness,  Va.,  May  5,  6, 260 

Spottsylvania,  Va.,  May  8-12,      .        .        .        .260 

Resaca,  Ga.,  May  14,  15 257 

New  Market,  Va.,  May  15, 262 

Dallas,  May  25-28,       .        ."      .        .        .        .257 

«       Cold  Harbor,  Va.,  June  3, 261 

Lost  Mountain,  Ga.,  June  15-17,  .  .  .257 
Battle  between  Kearsarge  and  Alabama,  June  19,  .  .  268 
Battle  of  Kenesaw  Mt.,  Ga.,  June  27,  ....  257 

Monocacy,  Md.,  July  9, 263 

Battles  before  Atlanta,  Ga.,  July  20,  22,  28,  ...  257 
Chambersburg,  Pa.,  burned,  July  30,  ....  264 
Mine  explosion,  Petersburg,  Va.,  July  30,  ...  262 
Farragut  entered  Mobile  Bay,  Ala.,  August  5,  .  .  .  266 

Weldon  Railroad  seized,  August  18, 263 

Atlanta,  Ga.,  taken,  September  2, 257 

Battle  of  Winchester,  Va.,  September  19,  ..  .    264 

Fisher's  Hill,  Va.,  September  22,         ...    264 

Cedar  Creek,  Va.,  October  19,      .        .        .        .    264 

Nevada  admitted  to  Union,  October  31,      .        .        .        .    277 

Fort  McAllister,  Ga.,  taken,  December  13.  .        .        .        .    259 


UNITED     STATES     HISTOKY. 


PAGB 

1864.  Battle  of  Nashville,  Tenn.,  December  15, 16,    .        .        .  258 

1865.  Fort  Fisher,  N.  C.,  taken,  January  15,        ....  267 

Columbia,  S.  C.,  taken,  February  17, 272 

Charleston,  S.  C.,  taken,  February  18,        ....  272 
Battles  of  Averysboro  and  Bentonsville,  N.  C.,  March 

15,18, 272 

Attack  on  Fort  Steadman,  Va.,  March  25,  .        .        .        .  272 

Battle  of  Five  Forks,  Va.,  April  1, 273 

Petersburg  and  Richmond  taken,  April  2,  3,              •        .  273 

Lee's  army  surrendered,  April  9, 275 

President  Lincoln  assassinated,  April  14,  .        .        .        .  276 

Johnston's  army  surrendered,  April  26,     .        .        .        .  275 

Jefferson  Davis  captured,  May  11,      .        .        ,        .        .  275 


RECONSTRUCTION  AND  PASSING  EVENTS, 


Prom  1865— Close  of  the  Civil  War, 
To      1871— The  Present  Date. 

JOHNSON'S    ADMINISTRATION* 

(SEVENTEENTH  PRESIDENT  :  1865-1869.) 

HE  death  of  Lincoln  produced  no  dis- 
order, but  the  Vice-President,  Andrew 
Johnson,  quietly,  and  within  three 
hours  thereafter,  assumed  the  duties  of 
the  Presidency. 

Disbanding  of  the  Army.  —  At 
the  close  of  the  war  the  two  armies 
numbered  a  million  and  a  half  of  sol- 
diers. Within  six  months  they  had 
nearly  all  returned  home.  Thus  the 
mightiest  hosts  ever  called  to  the  field  by  a  republic  went 
back  without  disturbance  to  the  tranquil  pursuits  of  civil 

*  Andrew  Johnson  was  born  in  Raleigh,  N.  C.,  December  29, 1808.  When  only  ten 
years  of  age,  he  was  bound  apprentice  to  a  tailor  of  that  city.  Never  having  been  at 
school  a  day  in  his  life,  he  yet  determined  to  secure  an  education.  Prom  a  fellow- 
workman  he  learned  the  alphabet,  and  from  a  friend  something  of  spelling.  Thence- 
forth, after  working  ten  to  twelve  hours  per  day  at  his  trade,  he  spent  two  or  three 
every  night  in  study.  In  1826,  he  went  West  to  seek  his  fortune,  with  true  filial  af- 
fection carrying  with  him  his  mother,  who  was  dependent  on  his  labor  for  support. 
After  his  marriage  at  Greenville,  Tenn.,  he  continued  his  studies  under  the  instruc- 
tion of  his  wife,  pursuing  his  trade  as  before  by  day.  His  political  life  commenced 
with  his  election  as  alderman.'  He  was  successively  chosen  mayor,  member  of  legis- 
lature, Presidential  elector,  State  senator,  twice  governor,  and  for  fifteen  years  U.  S. 
senator.  Remaining  true  to  the  Union  when  his  State  seceded,  his  loyalty  attracted 
general  attention.  A  life-time  democrat,  he  was  elected  on  the  republican  ticket  as 
Vice-President,  In  reward  for  his  faithfulness.  Coming  into  office  with  a  republican 
Congress,  it  is  not  strange  that  his  way  was  hedged  with  difficulties,  and  his  Presi- 
dential career  a  most  unhappy  one. 


282  UNITED     STATES     HISTOBY.  [1865. 

life.  In  a  few  months  there  was  nothing  to  distinguish  the 
soldier  from  the  citizen,  except  the  recollection  of  his  bravery. 
Other  nations  prophesied  that  such  a  yast  army  could  not  be 
disbanded  peaceably.  The  republic,  by  this  final  triumph  of 
law  and  order,  proved  itself  the  most  stable  government  in  the 
world.* 

Domestic  Affairs. — Reconstruction  Policy  of  the  Presi- 
dent.— Johnson  recognized  the  State  governments  that  had 
been  formed  in  Virginia,  Tennessee,  Arkansas,  and  Louisiana 
during  the  war,  under  the  protection  of  the  Union  army.  In 
the  other  States,  he  appointed  provisional  governors,  and  au- 
thorized the  calling  of  conventions  to  form  loyal  governments. 
These  conventions  accordingly  met,  repealed  the  ordinances  of 
secession,  repudiated  the  Confederate  war  debt,  and  ratified  the 
amendment  which  Congress  had  offered  abolishing  slavery. 
On  these  conditions,  Johnson  claimed  that  the  States,  having 
never  been  legally  out  of  the  Union,  should  be  restored  to  all 
their  rights  hi  the  Union.  All  restrictions  on  commerce  with 
the  South  had  been  previously  removed  (April  29, 1865).  A 
month  later  Johnson  issued  a  proclamation  of  amnesty  and 
pardon  to  all  engaged  in  secession,  except  certain  classes,  f  on 
condition  of  taking  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  United  States. 
In  1868  (July  4)  full  pardon  was  granted  to  all  not  under  in- 
dictment for  treason,  and  afterward  this  was  extended  to  all 
without  exception. 

The  Thirteenth  Amendment,  abolishing  slavery,  having  been 
ratified  by  the  States,  was  declared  (December  18,  1865)  duly 
adopted  as  a  part  of  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States. 

*  A  grand  review  of  the  armies  of  Grant  and  Sherman,  two  hundred  thousand 
ftrong,  took  place  in  the  presence  of  the  President  and  his  Cabinet.  For  twelve 
hours  this  triumphal  procession,  thirty  miles  long,  massed  in  solid  column  twenty 
men  deep,  rolled  through  the  broad  avenues  of  the  Capital. 

t  Many  of  the  persons  thus  excluded  obtained  pardons  from  the  President  by  per- 
sonal application.  One  complaint  against  him  was  the  readiness  with  which  he 
granted  such  pardons. 


1865.]  EPOCH    VI.  283 

Public  Debt. — The  annual  interest  on  the  war  debt  was  now 
over  one  hundred  and  thirty  millions  of  dollars.  The  revenue 
from  duties  on  imported  goods,  taxes  on  manufactures,  in- 
comes, etc.,  and  from  the  sale  of  revenue  stamps,  was  over 
three  hundred  millions  of  dollars.  This  provided  not  alone 
for  the  current  expenses  of  the  government  and  the  payment 
of  interest,  but  also  for  the  gradual  extinguishment  of  the 
debt.  It  is  a  striking  evidence  of  the  abundant  resources  of 
the  country  that,  in  1866,  "before  all  the  extra  troops  called 
out  by  the  war  had  been  discharged,  the  debt  had  been  di- 
minished more  than  thirty-one  millions  of  dollars." 

Reconstruction  Policy  of  Congress. — On  the  assembling  of 
Congress,  decided  grounds  were  taken  against  the  policy  of  the 
President  It  was  claimed  that  Congress  alone  had  power  to 
prescribe  the  conditions  for  the  re-admission  of  the  seceded 
States.  His  proclamation  and  orders  were  treated  as  of  no 
value.  The  Freedmen's  Bureau,  the  Civil  Rights,  and  the 
Tenure-of-Office  bills*  were  passed  over  the  President's  veto. 

The  Seceded  States  Admitted. — Tennessee  promptly  ratified 
the  Fourteenth  Amendment  and  was  restored  to  her  former 
position  in  the  Union.  The  other  provisional  governments 
refusing  to  do  so,  a  bill  was  passed  (March  2,  1867)  placing 
those  States  under  military  rule.  The  generals  in  command 
caused  a  registry  of  voters  to  be  made,  and  elections  to  be  held 
for  conventions  to  remodel  the  State  constitutions.  After  a 
bitter  and  protracted  struggle,  governments  were  established  in 
Arkansas,  Alabama,  Florida,  Georgia,  Louisiana,  North  and 
South  Carolina,  and  their  representativesf  admitted  (June  24, 

*  The  first  provided  for  the  establishment  of  a  department  of  the  national  govern- 
ment for  the  care  and  protection  of  the  freedmen,  i.  e.,  the  emancipated  slaves,  and 
also  of  the  destitute  whites  at  the  South.  The  second  bill  guaranteed  to  the  negroes 
the  rights  of  citizenship.  The  third  made  the  consent  of  the  Senate  necessary  to  the 
removal  by  the  President  of  any  person  from  a  civil  office. 

t  As  a  requisite  demanded  by  Congress  for  holding  office,  every  candidate  was 


284  UXITEB     STATES     HISTORY.  [1868- 

1868)  over  the  President's  veto,  to  Congress,  after  an  unrepre- 
sented period  of  seven  years. 

Impeachment  of  the  President. — The  constantly-increasing 
hostility  between  the  President  and  Congress  came  to  an  issue 
when  the  former  attempted  to  remove  Edwin  M.  Stanton, 
Secretary  of  War.  This  was  considered  a  violation  of  the 
Tenure-of-Office  bilL  The  impeachment  of  the  President  was 
at  last  ordered  (February  24, 1868).  After  a  long  and  tedious 
trial,  he  was  acquitted,  the  two-thirds  majority  necessary  for 
conviction  lacking  one  vote. 

TJie  Fourteenth  Amendment  proposed  by  Congress,  guaran- 
teeing equal  civil  rights  to  all,  regardless  of  race  or  color,  and 
basing  representation  in  each  State  on  the  number  of  voters, 
was  adopted  July  28, 1868. 

The  Indian  War  along  the  Southwest  having  increased  to 
such  dimensions  in  1865  and  1866  as  to  demand  active  meas- 
ures for  its  suppression,  General  Sheridan  was  ordered  thither. 
Black  Kettle  and  a  large  body  of  his  warriors  being  surprised 
and  slain  by  a  charge  of  Ouster's  cavalry  (1868)  hi  the  battle 
of  the  Wacheta  (wah-che'-tah),  hostilities  ceased. 

TJie  French  in  Mexico. — While  the  United  States  were  ab- 
sorbed in  the  civil  war,  Napoleon  III.,  emperor  of  France, 
took  advantage  of  the  opportunity  to  secure  a  foothold  in 
America.  By  the  assistance  of  the  French  army  the  imperial- 
ists of  Mexico  defeated  the  liberals,  and  Maximilian,  arch- 
duke of  Austria,  was  chosen  emperor.  The  United  States  gov- 
ernment protested  against  the  measure,  but  was  unable  to  en- 
force the  "Monroe  doctrine."  When  the  American  people 
were  relieved  from  the  pressure  of  civil  strife,  they  turned 
their  attention  to  the  Mexicans  hopelessly  struggling  for  lib- 

obliged  to  swear  that  he  had  not  participated  in  the  secession  movement.  As  few 
Southerners  could  take  this  "  iron-clad  oath,"  as  it  was  termed,  most  of  the  repre- 
sentatives were  Northern  men  who  had  gone  South  after  the  war,  and  were,  thare. 
fore,  called  "  carpet-baggers." 


1867.] 


EPOCH    VI. 


285 


erty,  and  the  United  States  government  demanded  of  Napo- 
leon the  recall  of  the  French  troops.  Maximilian,  deprived  of 
foreign  aid,  was  defeated,  and,  falling  into  the  hands  of  the 
Mexican  liberals,  was  shot  June  19,  1867.  This  ended  the 
dream  of  French  dominion  on  this  continent. 

Laying  of  the  Atlantic  Cable. — While  these  great  political 
events  were  happening,  science  had  achieved  a  peaceful  tri- 
umph whose  importance  far  transcended  the  victories  of  diplo- 


THE  GREAT   EASTERN   LAYING  THE  ATLANTIC  CABLB. 

matic  or  military  skill.  A  telegraphic  cable  eighteen  hundred 
and  sixty-four  miles  in  length  had  been  laid  from  Valentia 
Bay,  Ireland,  to  Heart's  Content,  Newfoundland .*  The  two 

*  The  success  of  this  enterprise  was  due  to  the  energy  of  Cyrus  W.  Field.  In  1856, 
the  line  was  finished  from  New  York  to  St.  John's,  Newfoundland,  a  distance  of  over 
one  thousand  miles.  A  company  was  then  formed  with  a  capital  of  about  $1,750,000. 
A  cable  was  made,  hut  in  an  attempt  to  lay  it  (August,  1857),  the  cable  parted.  A 
second  attempt,  in  June,  1858,  failed  after  repeated  trials.  A  third  effort,  in  July, 
was  successful.  A  message  was  sent  from  the  Queen  of  England  to  the  President, 


286  UNITED    STATES    HISTORY.  [1866. 

continents  were  thus  brought  into  almost  instant  communi- 
cation. 

Foreign  Affairs. — Purchase  of  Alaska  (October,  1867). — 
Through  the  diplomacy  of  William  H.  Seward,  Secretary  of 
State,  Alaska  was  purchased  of  Kussia  for  $7,200,000  in  gold. 
It  contains  about  500,000  square  miles,  but  it  is  principally 
valuable  for  its  harbors,  furs,  and  fisheries. 

Fenian  Excitement. — The  Fenians,  a  secret  society  organ- 
ized for  the  purpose  of  delivering  Ireland  from  British  rule, 
crossed  the  Canadian  frontier  at  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  and  St.  Albans, 
Vt,  in  large  numbers.  President  Johnson  issued  a  proclama- 
tion declaring  the  movement  a  violation  of  our  neutrality,  and 
sent  thither  General  Meade  to  execute  the  laws.  After  some 
skirmishing  with  British  troops,  the  expedition  returned. 

Treaty  with  China  (1868). — An  embassy  from  the  Celestial 
Empire,  under  charge  of  Anson  Burlingame,*  visited  the 
United  States.  It  was  an  event  of  much  importance,  and  the 
first  of  its  kind  in  the  history  of  that  exclusive  nation.  A 
treaty  was  perfected  guaranteeing  liberty  of  conscience  to 
Americans  in  China,  and  certain  commercial  privileges  of 
great  value. 

and  a  reply  transmitted.  A  celebration  was  held  in  New  York  in  honor  of  the  event, 
but  on  that  very  day  (September  1)  the  cable  ceased  to  work.  The  time  and  money 
spent  seemed  a  total  loss.  Mr.  Field  alone  was  undismayed.  The  company  was  re- 
vived, $3,000,000  were  subscribed,  and  a  new  cable  was  manufactured.  In  July,  1865, 
the  Great  Eastern  commenced  laying  this  cable,  but  in  mid-ocean  it  parted  and  sank 
to  the  bottom.  Again  Mr.  Field  went  to  work,  raised  a  new  company  with  a  capital 
of  $3,000,000,  and  made  a  third  cable.  The  Great  Eastern  sailed  with  this  June, 
1866,  and  successfully  accomplished  the  feat.  To  make  the  triumph  more  complete, 
the  vessel  sailed  back  to  the  very  spot  where  the  cable  of  1865  had  parted,  and,  drop- 
ping grappling-irons,  caught  the  lost  cable,  brought  it  to  the  surface,  and.  splicing  it, 
laid  the  remaining  portion.  The  two  cables  were  found  to  work  admirably.  A 
despatch  has  been  sent  across  the  ocean  by  a  battery  made  in  a  gun-cap. 

*  Burlingame  had  been  the  United  States  minister  to  the  Chinese  government  for 
six  years.  During  this  time  he  had  rendered  himself  so  popular,  that  at  the  end  of 
his  term  of  service  Prince  Kung,  the  Chinese  Regent,  requested  him  to  go  on  this 
special  mission  to  foreign  courts.  After  visiting  the  United  State*,  he  went  to  Eng- 
land, France,  and  Russia.  He  died  at  St.  Petersburg  within  a  month  after  his  arrival 
there. 


1868.]  EPOCH    vi.  287 

Political  Parties. — The  republican  party  nominated  Gen- 
eral  Ulysses  S.  Grant,  of  Illinois,  for  President,  and  Schuyler 
Colfax,  of  Indiana,  for  Vice-President  The  democratic  party 
nominated  Horatio  Seymour,  of  New  York,  and  General  Frank 
P.  Blair,  of  Missouri.  Virginia,  Mississippi,  and  Texas  were 
not  allowed  to  vote.  As  the  other  Southern  States  had  been 
"  reconstructed,"  had  granted  negro  suffrage,  and  enforced  a 
strict  registry  law,  they  were  permitted  to  participate  in  the 
election.  Grant  and  Colfax  were  elected. 


GRANT'S    ADMINISTRATION.* 

(EIGHTEENTH  PRESIDENT-TWO  TEEMS:  1869-1877.) 

Domestic  Affairs. — Pacific  Railroad. — The  year  1869 
was  made  memorable  by  the  opening  of  this  road.  It  is 
eighteen  hundred  miles  long,  and  completes  the  union  be- 
tween the  Atlantic  and  the  Pacific.  The  traveler  can  pass  from 
Boston  to  San  Francisco  in  one  week.  This  great  highway  has 

*  Hiram  Ulysses  Grant  was  born  at  Mount  Pleasant.  Ohio,  April  27, 1822.  He  was 
very  unwilling  to  follow  his  father's  trade,  which  was  that  of  a  tanner,  and,  at  seven- 
teen, an  appointment  was  secured  for  him  at  West  Point.  His  name  having  been 
wrongly  registered,  Grant  vainly  attempted  to  set  the  matter  right,  but  finally  ac- 
cepted his  ''manifest  destiny,"  assumed  the  change  thus  forced  upon  him,  and 
thenceforth  signed  himself  "  Ulysses  Simpson,"  the  latter  being  his  mothers  family 
name.  Two  years  after  completing  his  four  years'  course  as  cadet,  the  Mexican  War 
broke  out,  in  which  Grant  conducted  himself  with  great  gallantry,  receiving  especial 
mention  and  promotion.  After  this,  he  retired  to  civil  life,  where  he  remained  until 
the  opening  of  the  war  in  1861,  when  he  immediately  offered  his  services  in  behalf  of 
the  Union.  His  modesty  and  diffidence  delayed  their  acceptance,  and  Governor 
Yates,  of  Illinois,  was  the  first  to  avail  himself  of  them.  Grant  finally  took  the  field 
as  colonel  of  the  Twenty-first  Regiment  Illinois  Volunteers.  His  subsequent  mili- 
tary history  has  been  already  narrated  in  the  text. 

t  Already  this  road  is  coming  to  be  known  as  the  Central  Pacific,  to  distinguish  it 
from  other  contemplated  roads  across  the  continent.  The  Northern  Pacific,  with  its 
eastern  terminus  on  Lake  Superior,  and  its  western  on  Puget  Sound,  is  being  pushed 
rapidly  forward,  and  ere  the  snow  of  1871-72  falls,  will  have  reached  the  Red  River 
of  the  North,  or  spanned  one-eighth  of  the  distance.  Though  far  to  the  north,  yet 
the  climate  is  so  mild  that  nowhere  is  it  colder  than  in  Minnesota,  while  further  west 


ULYSSES    S.    GRANT. 


288  UNITED     STATES     HISTORY. 

linked  the  West  to  the  East  by  iron  bands,  has  carried 

thousands  of  pioneers  into 
the  hitherto  wild  country 
along  its  route,  developed 
fresh  sources  of  industry 
and  mines  of  wealth,  and 
opened  up  the  United  States 
to  the  silks,  teas,  and  spices 
of  Asia,  American  ingenu- 
ity has  solved  the  problem 
which  foiled  Columbus  and 
the  olden  navigators.  It  has 
made  for  itself  a  route  to 
India. 

The  Fifteenth  Amend- 
ment, which  guarantees  to  all  the  right  of  suffrage,  irrespec- 
tive of  "race,  color,  or  previous  condition  of  servitude," 
having  been  ratified  by  the  requisite  number  of  States,  was 
formally  announced  as  a  part  of  the  Constitution,  by  Hamil- 
ton Fish,  Secretary  of  State,  March  30,  1870. 

Prosperity  of  the  Country. — The  nation  rapidly  recovered 
from  the  effects  of  war.  The  price  of  gold  fell  to  110.  The 
national  debt  was  reduced  $204,000,000  during  the  first  two 
years  of  this  administration.  A  general  amnesty  to  all  con- 
nected with  the  Civil  War  was  proclaimed,  and  the  bitter 
feelings  engendered  by  fraternal  strife  fast  melted  away.  The 
South,  devastated  and  scourged  by  the  march  of  contending 

it  steadily  modifies  until,  in  Oregon  and  Washington  Territory,  there  is  no  -whiter 
weather  at  all,  hut  only  a  rainy  season,  as  in  California.  In  portions  of  Dakota, 
Idaho,  and  Montana  cattle  range  out  on  the  natural  grass  pastures  during  the  winter 
season  ;  while  in  Washington  Territory  roses  hlossom  the  year  round.  For  the  con- 
struction of  this  road,  puhlic  lands  have  heen  given  to  the  amount  of  over  80,000,000 
acres—"  a  farm  larger  hy  one-fourth  than  all  the  six  New  England  States.  It  will 
run  through  a  fertile  belt  of  Territories  which  would  make  eighteen  such  Statei 
as  Ohio,  and  ninety  such  as  Massachusetts."  These  comparisons  give  some  idea  of 
the  vast  extent  of  our  landed  possessions. 


1870.]  EPOCH     VI.  289 

armies,  accustomed  herself  to  the  novel  conditions  of  free 
labor,  rebuilt  her  railroads,  cultivated  her  fields,  and  re- 
paired the  ravages  of  Far.  The  census  of  1870  showed  that 
the  population  of  the  United  States  was  over  thirty-eight 
millions,  an  increase  of  about  seven  millions,  while  the  man- 
ufacturing establishments  of  the  country  had  nearly,  if  not 
quite,  doubled  in  number  and  value  during  the  preceding 
decado. 

Foreign  Affairs. — Difficulty  with  England, — The  refusal 
of  the  English  government  to  pay  the  damages  to  American 
commerce  caused  by  the  Alabama  and  other  Confederate 
cruisers  (p.  268)  produced  much  bitter  feeling,  and  even 
threatened  war.  A  high  commission,  composed  of  distin- 
guished statesmen  and  jurists  from  both  countries,  met  in 
Washington,  and  arranged  the  basis  of  a  treaty  between  the 
United  States  and  Great  Britain,  settling  this  and  other 
sources  of  dispute.  According  to  its  provisions,  the  claim  for 
losses  was  submitted  to  a  board  of  arbitrators,  who  convened 
at  Geneva,  Switzerland.  The  damages  awarded  to  the  United 
States  were  $16,250,000.  The '•difficulty  with  regard  to  the 
Northwestern  boundary  between  the  United  States  and  Brit- 
ish America  was  submitted  to  the  Emperor  of  Germany,  and 
was  decided  in  favor  of  the  former.  Thus  happily  all  danger 
of  war  was  averted,  and  the  great  principle  of  the  settlement 
of  disputes  by  peaceful  arbitration  rather  than  the  sword  was 
finally  established. 

Proposed  Annexation  of  Santo  Domingo.* — This  republic, 

*  The  island  of  Santo  Domingo  is  the  "  New  World's  classic  land."  Here  Colum- 
bus founded  the  first  white  colony  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic,  and  transporting 
hither  animals,  trees,  shrubs,  vines,  and  grains,  so  to  speak,  grafted  the  old  world 
upon  the  new.  Hither,  also,  flocked  the  bold,  adventurous,  ambitious  Spanish  mul- 
titude (see  p.  26).  Great  cities  sprang  up,  rivaling  the  majestic  proportions  of  Moor- 
ish capitals.  Magnificent  enterprises  were  set  on  foot  and  prospered.  Here  Ponce 
de  Leon  renewed  his  ambition,  and  set  forth  afresh  on  an  expedition  to  Porto  Rico, 
and  thence  to  Florida,  in  search  of  the  Fountain  of  Youth  (see  p.  98X  "  A  century 
before  Henry  Hudson  sailed  np  the  noble  river  that  perpetuates  his  name — more  than 

13 


290  UNITED     STATES     HISTOEY.  [1871. 

comprising  a  large  part  of  the  island  of  Hayti,  applied  for  ad- 
mission to  the  United  States.  The  question  was  hotly  de- 
bated in  Congress.  A  commission  of  eminent  men,  appointed 
by  the  President  to  visit  the  island  and  examine  its  condition, 
reported  favorably.  The  measure,  however,  met  with  strong 
opposition,  and  was  at  last  rejected  by  Congress. 

Fires. — 1.  A  great  fire  broke  out  in  Chicago  August  8, 
1871.  For  two  days  it  raged  with  tremendous  violence, 
devastating  3,200  acres.  25,000  buildings  were  burned, 
$300,000,000  worth  of  property  were  destroyed,  and  100,000 
persons  rendered  homeless.  2.  About  the  same  time  with  this 
disaster,  extensive  conflagrations  raged  in  the  forests  of  Wis- 
consin, Minnesota,  and  Michigan.  Entire  villages  were  de- 
stroyed. 1,500  people  perished  in  Wisconsin  alone.  3.  An 
extensive  fire  occurred  in  Boston  November  9,  1872.  It 
swept  over  sixty  acres  in  the  center  of  the  wholesale  trade  of 
that  city,  and  consumed  $100,000,000  worth  of  property. 

Political  Parties. — The  liberal  republican  party,  consist- 
ing of  republicans  opposed  to  the  administration,  nominated 

a  century  before  the  Puritans  landed  at  Plymouth  Rock— the  city  of  Santo  Domingo 
was  a  rich  and  populous  center  of  industry  and  trade.  Some  of  its  palaces  and 
churches  still  remain,  massive  and  splendid ;  among  them,  the  great  cathedral  begun 
in  1514  and  finished  in  1540."  But  the  Spanish  policy  of  greed  and  oppression  gradu- 
ally undermined  itself.  In  1795,  when  Santo  Domingo  was  ceded  to  France,  it  was 
"  abandoned  to  such  a  degree  that  it  was  a  mere  wilderness,  devoted  to  the  grazing 
of  cattle."  Yet,  in  spite  of  past  tyranny,  of  neglect,  and  the  knowledge  that  they  had 
been  "  sold  like  a  herd  of  cattle  "  to  a  foreign  master,  the  Dominicans  were  loyal  to 
Spain,  and  when  Napoleon  I.  took  possession  of  Madrid  in  1808,  they  indignantly  rose 
in  arms,  overpowered  the  French  garrisons,  and  made  themselves  masters  of  their 
own  country.  They  then  rehoisted  the  Spanish  flag,  and  in  1814,  by  the  Treaty  of 
Paris,  Santo  Domingo  was  formally  restored  to  that  country.  Meanwhile,  the  few 
years  of  interval  had  taught  them  some  of  the  pleasures  of  liberty,  and  the  seed  then 
implanted  grew  rapidly.  In  1821,  they  severed  their  connection  with  the  mother 
country,  but  only  to  be  absorbed  by  the  more  thriving  and  populous  Hayti.  In  1844, 
the  Dominican  Republic  declared  itself  free  and  independent.  Great  Britain,  France, 
Spain,  Denmark,  Holland,  and  Sardinia  formally  recognized  it,  and  sent  representa- 
tives to  its  capital.  After  seventeen  years  of  struggle  against  European  intrigue  and 
Haytien  aggression,  it  again  lapsed  into  a  Spanish  dependency.  Its  story  for  the 
next  four  years  is  successively  one  of  oppression,  of  revolt,  of  bloody  wars,  and  of 
final  success.  The  Spanish  fleet  took  final  leave  in  1865,  and  left  the  brave  Domini- 
cans to  their  well-earned  freedom. 


1872.]  EPOCH    VI.  291 

Horace  Greeley,*  of  New  York,  for  the  presidential  term  com- 
mencing 1873.  The  democratic  party  endorsed  this  nomina- 
tion. The  republicans  renominated  President  Grant,  who  was 
elected. 

States  Admitted  during  this  Epoch. — Nebraska,  the 
thirty-seventh  State,  was  admitted  to  the  Union  March  1, 
1867.  (See  Kansas,)  The  name  signifies  "water  valley/" 


*  Horace  Greeley,  "Founder  of  the  New  York  Tribune,"  was  born  at  Amherst, 
N.  H.,  February  3,  1811.  As  a  child,  he  was  precociously  fond  of  books.  At  two 
years  of  age,  he  began  to  study  the  newspapers  given  him  for  amusement ;  and  at 
four,  could  read  anything  placed  before  him.  At  six,  he  was  able  to  spell  any  word 
in  the  English  language,  had  read  the  entire  Bible,  and  was  somewhat  versed  in 
geography  and  arithmetic.  His  passion  for  books  increased  with  his  years,  and  at  a 
very  early  age  determined  him  to  be  a  printer.  At  fifteen,  he  entered  the  office  of  the 
Northern  Spectator,  at  East  Poultney,  Vt.,  where  he  soon  became  an  expert  work- 
man, mastering  the  details  of  the  art  almost  by  intuition.  His  wages  were  forty 
dollars  a  year,  the  greater  part  of  which  was  saved  and  sent  to  his  father,  then  strug- 
gling in  poverty  upon  a  farm  in  Pennsylvania.  The  Spectator  having  failed,  in  1831 
Greeley  went  to  New  York.  He  landed  with  ten  dollars  and  a  scanty  outfit  tied  in  a 
handkerchief.  Franklin-like,  he  traversed  the  streets  in  search  of  work — a  long, 
stooping,  stockingless  figure,  in  linen  roundabout,  short  trousers,  and  drooping 
hat,  with  his  out-grown  cotton  wristbands  only  made  to  meet  with  twine.  No 
wonder  that  the  passers-by  failed  to  see  the  beauty  of  the  brow  concealed  under  its 
uncouth  covering,  or  the  still  greater  grandeur  of  the  soul  hidden  beneath  such  a  cos- 
tume. Diligence,  integrity,  and  ability  won  him  a  ready  rise  when,  after  days  of 
seeking,  work  was  at  last  secured.  We  find  him  here  successively  editor  of  the 
Morning  Post,  a  short-lived  penny  paper;  the  New  Yorker,  which  met  with  marked 
success ;  the  Log  Cabin,  an  extremely  popalar  sheet,  advocating  the  election  of  Pres- 
ident Harrison ;  and  lastly,  of  the  New  York  Tribune,  which  was  started  April  10, 
1841.  Since  that  time,  the  name  and  fame  of  Horace  Greeley  have  been  identified 
with  the  Tribune.  He  served  in  Congress  in  1848-'49,  where  he  was  known  for  his 
opposition  to  the  abuses  of  the  mileage  system.  When  civil  war  seemed  imminent, 
he  at  first  advocated  a  peaceable  division ;  but  after  hostilities  were  opened,  he  urged 
a  vigorous  prosecution.  At  the  close  of  the  war,  he  pleaded  for  immediate  concilia- 
tion, and  was  a  signer  of  the  bail-bond  which  restored  Jefferson  Davis  to  liberty 
after  his  two  years'  imprisonment  in  Fortress  Monroe.  This  act  made  him  many 
bitter  enemies  in  the  North  and  cost  him  much  patronage. 

Horace  Greeley  was  pure,  simple,  and  conscientious  in  character.  He  had  a  pecu- 
liar disregard  for  dress,  and  neglected  many  of  the  courtesies  of  society  ;  but  was  a 
true  gentleman  at  heart,  and  possessed  rare  gifts  in  conversation.  He  was  greatly 
fond  of  agriculture,  and  spent  his  leisure  days  on  his  farm  at  Chappaqua.  He  ac- 
cepted the  nomination  for  President,  believing  that  his  election  would  conduce  to 
the  establishment  of  peaceful  relations  between  the  North  and  South.  Just  before 
the  close  of  the  canvass  his  wife  died,  and  this  sad  event,  together  with  the  desertion 
of  friends  and  the  excitement  of  the  contest,  unsettled  his  mind.  He  was  carried  to 
a  private  asylum,  where  he  died  November  29, 1872.  Hia  last  words  were,  "I  know 
that  my  Redeemer  liveth." 


292  UNITED     STATES     HISTORY.  [1871. 

It  is  the  seventh  State  in  the  great  basin  of  the  Mississippi 
formed  from  the  Louisiana  purchase.  It  was  organized  as  a 
Territory  in  1854.  Having  escaped  the  slavery  agitation 
which  convulsed  its  sister  Territory,  Kansas,  it  has  steadily, 
though  quietly,  increased  in  population  and  wealth. 


These  questions  are  placed  at  the  close  of  the  work  rather  than  at 
the  foot  of  each  page,  in  order  to  compel  a  more  independent  use  of 
the  book.  As  far  as  possible,  topical  recitations  should  be  encouraged. 
On  naming  the  subject  of  a  paragraph,  the  pupil  should  be  expected  to 
tell  all  he  knows  about  it.  A  little  patience  and  practice  in  this 
method  will  achieve  wonderful  results.  The  following  pages  often 
present  topical  questions  in  the  hope  of  gradually  leading  the  pupil  to 
this  system  of  study.  The  figures  refer  to  the  pages  of  the  book. 

INTRODUCTION. 

9.  From  what  continent  did  the  first  inhabitants  of  America  probably 
come?    How  did  they  get  here?    (At  that  time  it  is  probable  that 
Behring   Strait  was  not  cut   through,  and  the  two  continents   were 
connected.)    What  remains  of  these  people  are  found?    Where  do 
they  occur  ? 

10.  What  proof  of  their  antiquity  ?    Describe  the  ruins  at  Newark, 
Ohio.     The  mound  at  St.  Louis.     The  embankment  in  Adams  County, 
Ohio.     Are  earth- works  permanent  ?     Describe  the  ruins  in  South 
America.    Who  were  the  mound-builders  ? 

11.  What  became  of  them  ?    Who  succeeded  them  ?    How  did  the 
Indians  compare  with  them  ?    What  do  you  say  of  the  number  of  the 
Indians  ?     Where  most   numerous  ?     Were   there   any  blacksmiths, 
carpenters,  etc.,  among  them  ?    Were  they  a  progressive  people  ?    In 
what  were  they  skilled  ?    How  did  they  regard  labor  ? 

12.  Describe  the  life  of  their  women.     The  Indian  disposition.    His 
power  of  endurance. 

13.  His   religion    in   New   England.     In   New  York.     In   Centra] 
America.     How  did  his  religion  and  his  civilization  compare  ?    What 
will  be  his  fate  ?    Who  were  the  Northmen  ?    What  traditions  about 
their  having  discovered  and  settled  America  ? 

\  4-16.  Are  these  stories  credible  ?  Are  there  any  remains  of  this  people 
now  existing  ?  Were  their  discoveries  of  any  value  ?  At  what  date 
does  the  history  of  this  country  begin  ?  Name  the  subjects  and  limits 
of  the  six  epochs  into  which  this  history  is  divided. 


UNITED     STATES     H  I  8  T  0  11  Y 


FIRST   EPOCIJ, 

19.  What  -was  the  state  of  geographical  knowledge  in  Europe  in  the 
fifteenth  century?    Why  could  not   sailors   have   crossed  the  ocean 
before  as  well  as  then  ?    Why  were  books  of  travel  more  abundant 
then  ?    Why  so  eagerly  read  ? 

20.  By  what  route  were  the  goods  from  the  East  obtained?    What 
was    the    problem    of    that    day?     Columbus's    idea?     What    facts 
strengthened  his  view  ?    (See  p.  21.)    TeU  something  of  his  life. 

21.  Why  did  he  seek  assistance  ?    Before  whom  did  he  lay  his  plan  ? 
How  was  it  received?    Did  the  king  treat  him  fairly?    To  whom  did 
Columbus  apply  next?    How  was  he  regarded?    What  reply  was 
made  him  ? 

22.  What  did  Columbus's  friends  do  for  him  ?    What  offer  did  Queen 
Isabella  make  ?    Were  her  jewels  sold  ?    What  new  trouble  assailed 
Columbus  ?    What  vessels  composed  his  fleet  ?    Give  some  of  the  inci- 
dents of  the  voyage. 

28.  Did  Columbus  waver?  (There  seems  to  be  no  truth  in  the 
common  statement  that  he  promised  to  turn  back,  if  he  did  not  discover 
land  in  three  days.)  Describe  the  discovery  of  land.  The  landing. 
When  and  where  was  this  ?  What  region  did  Columbus  think  he  had 
reached?  What  was  the  result?  For  what  did  he  search?  What 
other  islands  did  he  discover  ? 

24.  Describe  his  reception  on  his  return.   How  many  subsequent  voy- 
ages did  Columbus  make  ?  What  settlement  did  he  make  ?  (p.  289).    Did 
he  discover  the  main-land  ?    Did  he  know  that  he  had  found  a  new  con- 
tinent ?    Where  is  Columbus's  tomb  ?    How  was  the  continent  named  ? 

25.  What  was  the  plan  of  John  Cabot  ?    What  discoveries  did  he 
make  ?    Did  his  discoveries  antedate  those  of  Columbus  ?     Where  and 
when  is  it  probable  the  American  continent  was  discovered?    What 
discoveries  did  Sebastian  Cabot  make  ?    Did  England  improve  them  ? 
Of  what  value  were  they  ? 

26.  What  four  nations  explored  the  territory  of  the  future  United 
States  ?    What  portion  of  the  continent  did  each  explore  ?    What  was 
the  feeling  in  Spain  ?    What  effect  was  produced  ?    Why  did  Ponce  de 
Leon  come  to  the  new  world  ? 

27.  What  land  did  he  discover  ?    Why  did  he  so  name  it  ?    What 
success  did  he  meet?     What  discovery  did  Balboa  make?    Describe 
the  expedition  of  De  Narvaez.     Its  fate.     Of  De  Soto.     Of  De  Ayllon. 

28.  What  region  did  De  Soto  traverse  ?    Did  he  make  any  valuable 
discoveries?     What   river  was  his  burial   place?     When?     What 
became  of  his  companions  ? 

29.  When,  where,  and  by  whom  was  the  first  town  in  the  United 
States  founded?    Meaning  of  the  word  California  in  the   sixteenth 


QUESTIONS     FOB     CLASS     USE.  ill 

century?  Why  did  Cortez  explore  that  region?  Who  made  the  first 
voyage  along  the  Pacific  coast  ?  Which  is  the  second  oldest  town  in 
the  United  States?  When  and  by  whom  founded?  What  was  the 
great  wish  of  maritime  nations  ? 

30.  What  was  the  extent  of  the  Spanish  possessions  in  the  new 
world?    Who  was  the  first  French  navigator  to  reach  the  continent? 
When?    What  name  did  he  give  it?    Who  discovered  the  River  St. 
Lawrence  ?    Why  did  he  so  name  it  ?    Ans.  From  the  name  of  the  day 
on  which  it  was  discovered.     Why  was  Montreal  so  named  ?    Describe 
the  attempt  to  plant  a  colony  of  convicts.     Why  did  this  fail  ? 

31.  Who  were  the  Huguenots?    What  was  Coligny's  plan?    Who 
led  the  first  expedition  ?    Fate  of  the  colony  ?    The  second  expedition  ? 
Amusing  story  of  the  longevity  of  the  Indians  ? 

32.  Fate  of  the  colony?    What  French  navigator  was  the  next  to 
ascend  the   St.  Lawrence?    How  did  he  find  things  at  Hochelaga? 
When,  where,  and  by  whom  was  the  first  permanent  French  settlement 
made  in  America  ?    How  much  land  was  granted  ? 

33.  When,  where,  and  by  whom  was  the  first  permanent  French 
settlement  made  in  Canada?    What  journey  did  Champlain  make? 
What  discoveries  ?    The  consequence  of  his  trip  ?    Who  explored  the 
Mississippi  valley?    What  relics  of  them  remain?    Tell  something  of 
their  heroism.    Of  Father  Marquette.    Of  his  death. 

34.  Of  La  Salle.    What  were  the  results  of  French  enterprise  ?    How 
did  it  compare  with  English  enterprise  ?    When  did  the  English  awake 
to  the  importance  of  American  discovery  ?    Who  made  the  first  attempt 
to  carry  out  Cabot's  plan  ? 

35.  What  success  did  he  have  ?    Was  the  discovery  of  gold  profitable  ? 
What  discovery  did  Sir  Francis  Drake  make  ? 

36.  What  was  the  view  of  Sir  Humphrey  Gilbert  ?    His  fate  ?    Who 
adopted  his  plan  ?    Give  some  account  of  Sir  Walter  Raleigh.     Why 
was  Virginia  so  named?    Where  did  Raleigh  plant  his  first  colony? 
Give  its  history. 

37.  What  did  the  colonists  introduce  into  England  on  their  return  ? 
Story  told  of  Raleigh's  smoking  ?    Give  the  history  of  the  second  colony. 
What  kept  the  interest  in  America  alive  ?    How  did  Gosnold  shorten 
the  voyage  across  the  Atlantic  ? 

38.  What  discoveries  did  Gosnold  make?    Captain  Pring?    Results 
of  these  explorations?     What  was  South  Virginia  ?    North  Virginia? 
Where,  when,  and  by  whom  was  the  first  English  settlement  made  in 
the  United  States?    What  became  of  the  colony  sent  out  the  same 
year  by  the  Plymouth  company  ?     Tell  some  of  the  provisions  of  the 
charter  granted  to  these   companies.     What   is  a   charter?    'Ans.  A 
document  which  confers  the  title  to  certain  land,  and,  not  unlike  a 
constitution,  defines  the  form  of  government,  and  secures  to  the  people 
certain  rights  and  privileges. 


1Y  UNITED     STATES     HISTORY. 

39.  Who  entered  New  York  harbor  next  after  Verrazani?    Was 
Hudson  a  Dutchman  ?    (His  given  name  was  Henry,  not  Heindrich,  as 
often  stated.)    What  river  did  he  discover  ?    What  claim  did  the  Dutch 
found  on  this  discovery  ?     What  name  did  they  give  to  the  region  ? 
State  the  claims  of  these  four  nations,  and  the  settlements  they  had 
made. 

40.  Why  were  these  claims  conflicting?    Had  these  nations  any  idea 
of  the  extent  of  the  country  ?    Which  nation  ultimately  secured  the 
whole    region?      Which   centuries  were    characterized    by    explora- 
tions, and  which  century  by  settlements  ?    Name  the  permanent  set- 
tlements   which  were  made  at  the  beginning  of  the    seventeenth 
century. 


SECOND    EPOCIj. 


45.  Name  the  thirteen  colonies.    Were  they  united  during  this 
epoch  ? 

46.  What  was  the  character  of  the  Virginia  colonists?    What  was 
their  success  ?    Describe  the  services  of  John  Smith.     Give  some  of  the 
incidents  of  his  life. 

47.  What  was  his  theory  of  founding  a  colony  ?    Tell  the  story  of 
his  capture  by  the  Indians. 

48.  What  change  in  the  government  of  the  colony  was  made  by  the 
second  charter?    Was  it  based  on  the  principle  of  self-government? 
Why  did  Smith  leave  ?    What  was  its  effect  on  the  colony  ?    TeU  some- 
thing of  the  "  Starving  Time." 

49.  How  did  relief  come?    What   change  was  made  by  the  third 
charter  ?    Describe  the  marriage  of  Pocahontas.     Her  visit  to  England. 
Where  was  the  first  legislative  body  held? 

50.  When    was  the  first  constitution  given '?    Of  what  value  were 
these?    Give  some  particulars  of  the  prosperity  of  the  colony.      Of 
the  culture  of  tobacco.     Of  the  purchase  of  wives.     When  and  how 
was  slavery  introduced  ?    Why  ? 

51.  Why  did  the  Indians  now  become  hostile?    Give  some  account 
of  the  massacre.     Its   result.     What  new  change  was  made  in  the 
government?    Cause?    What  was  the  Navigation  Act ?    Why  was  it 
oppressive  ?    What  was  the  conduct  of  the  assembly  ? 

52.  What  division  arose  among  the  people?    Give  the  history  of 
Bacon's  rebellion.     Was  Bacon  a  patriot  or  a  rebel?    What  was  the 
conduct  of  Berkeley  ?    WTiat  curious  fact  illustrates  the  ruling  senti- 
ment of  Massachusetts  and  of  Virginia  at  that  time.    What  coincidence 
between  this  event  and  the  Revolution  ? 

53.  Describe  John  Smith's  explorations  at  the  north.     What  authority 
was  gmnted  to  the  Council  of  New  England  ?    What  became  of  the 
Plymouth  Company?     Give  some   account   of    the   landing   of    the 


QUESTIONS    FOR    GLASS    USE.  T 

Pilgrims.    Who  were  the  Puritans?    Why  did  they  come  to  this 
country  ?    When  ? 

54.  What  was  their  character?    What  story  is  told  to  illustrate  their 
piety  ?    Describe  their  sufferings.     What  is  "  Plymouth  Rock  "  ?    What 
do  you  mean  by  Dec.  11,  O.  S.  and  Dec.  21,  N.  S.  ? 

55.  Why  did  not  the  Indians  disturb  them  ?    What  Indians  visited 
them  in  the  spring  ?    How  did  Governor  Bradford  reply  to  Canonicus's 
threat  ?    How  did  the  colony  progress  ?    Tell  about  the  scarcity  of  food  ? 

56.  How  did  the  plan  of  working  in  common  succeed?     Did  they 
have  any  more  privileges  than  the  Jamestown  colonists  ?    Who  settled 
about   Massachusetts   Bay?     Why  was  this   colony  popular?    Who 
founded  Salem?     Boston  ?    Did  the  Puritans  tolerate  other  Churches  ? 
Why  not  ? 

57.  Give  an  account  of  the  difficulty  with  Roger  Williams.     Where 
did  he  go  ?    What  settlement  did  he  found  ?    Why  did  Mrs.  Hutchinson 
become   obnoxious?     State  their  treatment  of  the  Quakers.    What 
union  of  the  colonies  was  now  formed?    What  was  its  object?    What 
Indian   chiefs  befriended  Massachusetts  and  Virginia  in  their  early 
history  ? 

58.  Give  an  account  of  King  Philip's  war.     Of  the  "  swamp  fight." 
Of  the  attack  on  Hadley.     How  did  the  colonists  protect  themselves  ? 

59.  How  was  the  war  finally  ended  ?    How  did  the  Navigation  Act 
affect  Massachusetts?    Did  the  Puritans  obey  it?    What  change  now 
took  place  in  the  government  ?    Give  some  account  of  Andres's  rule. 
What  action  did  the  colonists  take  ?    What  form  of  government  was 
finally  imposed  upon  them  ? 

60.  Give  an  account  of  the  Salem  witchcraft.     What  is  a  "  witch"  ? 
Was  this  delusion  common  at  that  time?    What  two  colonies  were 
intimately  united  to  Massachusetts?    What  was   Laconia? 

61.  Give  an  account  of  the  early  settlement  of  New  Hampshire? 
Of  Maine  ?     What  is  said  of  the  claims  made  upon  the  land  by  the 
heirs  of  these  proprietors  ?    Why  are  these  States  so  named  ?    Who 
obtained  a  grant  of  the  territory  now  embraced  in  Connecticut  ?    Who 
claimed  this  region  ? 

62.  Give  an  account  of  the  early  settlement  at  Windsor.    Hartford. 
Saybrook.     How  were  the  Xarraganset  Indians  kept  from  joining  the 
Pequods  against  the  whites  ?    Describe  the  attack  upon  the  Pequod  fort. 

63.  What  three  colonies  were  formed  in  Connecticut?    What  pecu- 
liarities in  the  government  of  each  ?    How  were  they  combined  into 
one  colony?    Why  was  the  charter  so  highly  prized?    What  story  is 
told  of  Andros's  visit  ? 

64.  What  became  of  the  charter  ?    What  colony  was  established  the 
same  year  that  Hooker  went  to  Hartford.     What  exiles  settled  Rhode 
Island?     Why  was    the   island    BO    called?     What  fact   illustrates 
Williams's  generosity  ? 


Vl  UNITED     STATES     HISTORY. 

65.  What  was  his  favorite  idea?    Why  was  not  the  colony  allowed 
to  join  the  New  England  Union  ?    How  was  a  charter  secured  ?     What 
was  its  character  ?     Give  an  account  of  the  settlement  of  New  York  by 
the  Dutch.     Who  were  the  "  patroons  "  ? 

66.  What  was  the  character  of  the  history  of  New  York  under  its 
four  Dutch  governors?    Who  was  the  ablest  of  them?    How  much 
territory  did  he  claim  ?    How  did  he  settle  the  boundary  lines  ?    Tell 
something  of  the  growth  of  liberty  among  the  people. 

67.  Describe  old  Peter's  reluctance  to   surrender  to  the   English. 
Why  was  the  colony  named  New  York  ?     Were  the  people  pleased 
with  the  English  rule  ?    Was  the  English  occupation  permanent  ?    Was 
civil  liberty  secured  under  Andros?    Dougan?    What  course  did  the 
Duke  of  York  take  when  he  became  King  of  England  ?     Tell  how 
Captain  Leisler  came  to  assume  the  government.     Of  his  trial  and 
execution. 

68.  In  what  colony  was  New  Jersey  formerly  embraced?    Who  first 
settled  it  ?    When,  to  whom,  and  by  whom  was  the  land  granted  ? 
Where  and  by  whom  was  the  first  English  settlement  made  ?    Why  so 
called  ?    How  divided  ?    Who  settled  the  different  parts  ? 

69.  How  did  New  Jersey  come  to  be  united  to  New  York  ?    To  be 
made  a  separate  royal  province  ?    Where  and  by  whom  was  the  first 
settlement  in   Delaware  made?     In  Pennsylvania?     Who  was  the 
founder  of  Pennsylvania?     Give  some  account  of  William  Penn.     Of 
the  Quakers. 

70.  How  did  Penn  come  to  obtain  a  grant  of  this  region  ?    Why  was 
it  so  named?    What  was  Delaware  styled  ?     How  did  Penn  settle  , the 
territory  ?    What  city  did  he  found  ?    Meaning  of  the  name  ?    Rapidity 
of  its  growth  ?    What  was  the  "  Great  Code"  ?    Was  religious  tolera- 
tion granted  ? 

71.  Give  an  account  of  Penn's  treaty  with  the  Indians.     In  what 
spirit  did  Penn  treat  the  colony  ? 

72.  How  came  Delaware  to  be  separated  from  Pennsylvania  ?    Wag 
this  separation  total  ?    How  did  Pennsylvania  secure  the  title  to  its 
soil  ?    With  what  intent  did  Lord  Baltimore  secure  a  grant  of  land  in 
America  ?     When  was  the  first  settlement  made  ?    Why  was  Maryland 
BO  named  ?    What  class  of  people  generally  settled  this  country  ? 

73.  What  advantage  did  the  Maryland  charter  confer?    What  was 
the  "  Toleration  Act"  ?    How  did  religious  toleration  vary  in  the  colo- 
nies ?    Give  an  account  of  Claiborne's  rebellion.     Of  the  difficulties  be- 
tween the  Catholics  and  the  Protestants. 

74.  What  territory  was  granted  to  Lord  Clarendon  ?    By  whom  was 
the  Albemarle  colony  settled?     What  course  did  the  proprietors  take  ? 
By  whom  was  the  Carteret  colony  settled  ?    What  location  did  they 
select  ?    What  do  you  say  of  the  rapidity  of  its  growth  ? 

75.  Of  the  Huguenots  ?    Who  were  they  ?    What  influence  did  they 


QUESTIONS    FOE     CLASS     USB.  VU 

have  on  the  colony  ?  What  was  the  "  Grand  Model"  ?  How  was  it  un- 
fitted for  a  new  country  ?  How  was  it  received  ?  What  were  the  rela- 
tions between  the  proprietors  and  settlers  ?  How  were  the  difficulties 
ended  ?  How  came  Carolina  to  be  divided  ? 

76.  By  what  coincidence  is  Georgia  linked  with  Washington  ?    With 
what  intention  was  this  colony  planned  ?    Character  of  the  settlers  ? 
Restrictions  of  the  trustees  ?    Eesult  ? 

77.  How  many  inter-colonial  wars  were  there  ?     If  you  include  the 
Spanish  war?    (See  p.  80,  note.)     Duration  of  King  William's  war? 
Cause  ?     Describe  the  Indian  attacks  upon  the  colonists.     Tell  the 
story  of  Mrs.  Dustin. 

78.  What  attacks  were  made  by  the  colonists  in  return  ?     Were  they 
successful  ?    What  was  the  result  of  the  war  ? 

79.  Length  of  Queen  Anne's  war?     Cause?    Where  was   the  war 
mainly  fought  ?    Effect  upon  New  England  ?    What  attack  by  the  col- 
onists at  the  south  ?     At  the  north  ?     Tell  the  story  of  Mrs.  Williams. 

80.  Result  of  the  war?     Length  of  King  George's  war?     Cause? 
Principal  event  ?     Give  an  account  of  the  capture  of  Louisburg.     Of 
the  Spanish  war. 

81.  Result  of  the  war?    Length  of  the  French   and   Indian  war? 
Cause  ?    Occasions  of  quarrel  ?  ' 

82.  Give  an  account  of  Washington's  journey  to  Lake  Erie.     His  re- 
turn.    Result  of  his  journey. 

83.  What  did  the  French  do  in  the  spring  ?    The  Virginia  troops  un- 
der Washington  ?    Fate  of  Jumonville  ?    Give  an  account  of  the  cap- 
ture of  Fort  Necessity  by  the  French.     Who  fired  the  first  gun  of  this 
war?     Name  the  five  objective  points  of  this  war. 

84.  Why  were  they  so  obstinately  attacked  and  defended  ?    Give  an 
account  of  the  defeat  of  General  Braddock?    Where?    Character  of 
Braddock  ?    Conduct  of  Washington  ? 

85.  Give  an  account  of  the  second  expedition  ?    Who  finally  captured 
the  fort?     What  city  now  occupies  its  site  ?    What  was  the  principal 
cause  of  the  easy  capture  of  the  fort  ?    (See  p.  87,  note.)    What  suc- 
cess did  the  English  meet  in  Acadia  ?    What  cruel  act  disgraced  their 
victory  ?    What  attempt  was  made  on  Louisburg  ?    Who  finally  cap- 
tured it? 

86.  Describe  the  battle  of  Lake  George.     Who  earned  the  glory  of 
this  victory  and  who  got  it  ?     Tell  the  story  of  Dieskau's  death.     The 
fate  of  Fort  William  Henry.     Describe  the  attack  on  Fort  Ticonderoga 
by  Abercrombie. 

87.  When  were  both  forts  captured  ?    Describe  the  two  attempts  to 
capture  Niagara.     Who  forced  it  to  surrender  ?    In  what  year  did  these 
successes  occur  ?     Describe  the  difficulties  which  General  Wolfe  met  in 
his  attack  on  Quebec. 

88.  89.  How  did  he  overcome  them  ?     Describe  the  battle  on  the 


Viii  UNITED    STATES    HISTORY. 

Plains  of  Abraham.    What  was  the  result  of  the  battle?    The  condi 
tions  of  peace  ? 

90.  Cause  of  Pontiac's  war?     Result?     Fate  of  Pontiac?    What 
stratagems  did  the  Indians  use?    Effects  of  the  French  and  Indian 
war? 

91.  How  did  the  British  officers  treat  the  colonial  officers  ?    Condition 
of  the  colonies '!    How  many  kinds  of  government  ?    Name  and  define 
each.    How  many  colleges  ?    Did  the  English  government  support  edu- 
cational interests  ? 

92.  Condition  of  agriculture?     Manufactures?    Commerce?    Were 
there  many  books  or  papers  ?    How  did  the  people  travel  ?    Tell  some- 
thing about  the  first  public  conveyances.     Was  money  plenty  ? 

93.  Condition  of  morals  in  New  England  ?    Name  some  peculiar  cus- 
toms.    Some  rigid  laws.     Who  was  entitled  to  the  prefix  Mr.  ?    What 
were  common  people  called  ?    Laws  with  regard  to  drinking  ?     Using 
tobacco  ? 

94.  Tell  something  of  the  habits  of  the  people  in  New  York.     What 
customs  f amiliar  to  us  are  of  Dutch  origin  ?    How  did  the  style  of  li v- 
ing  at  the  south  differ  from  that  at  the  north  ?    Describe  a  southern 
plantation.     What  is  said  of  Mount  Vernon  flour  ?    Of  the  luxurious 
living  ?    State  of  education  in  New  England  ? 

95.  Tell  something  of  the  support  given  to  schools.     Of  the  founding 
of  Yale  College.    Of  their  town  meetings.     Of  the  state  of  education  in 
the  middle  colonies.     How  were  the  ministers'  salaries  met  ? 

96.  What  was  the  state  of  education  in  the  southern  colonies  ?    Pro- 
vision made  for  public  worship  ?    Give  some  idea  of  the  early  Virginia 
laws  concerning  worship. 


THIRD  EPOCIJ, 

101.  How  did  England  treat  the  colonies  ?    Give  some  illustrations. 

102.  What  was  the  tendency  of  this  course  of  conduct  ?    What  were 
Writs  of  Assistance  ?     The  Stamp  Act  ?    How  did  the  colonists  receive 
the  latter?    Tell  the  story  of  Patrick  Henry. 

103.  What  efforts  were  made  to  resist  the  law  ?    What  effect  did  they 
have  on  the  English  government  ?    Was  this  permanent  ?    What  was 
the  Mutiny  Act  ?    Why  was  it  passed  ? 

104  How  was  it  received  by  the  colonists  ?  Tell  about  the  Boston 
Massacre.  When  ?  The  Boston  Tea  Party.  Why  was  the  tea  thrown 
overboard  ?  For  what  is  Faneuil  Hall  noted  ?  What  did  the  English 
now  do  ? 

106,  107.  What  parties  were  formed  ?  What  action  did  the  colonists 
take  ?  When  and  where  was  the  "  First  Continental  Congress"  held  ? 


QUESTIONS    FOE    CLASS    USE.  ix 

What  action  did  it  take  ?    When  and  where  was  the  first  blood  spilled  1 
Describe  how  the  battle  of  Lexington  occurred. 

108, 109.  Effects  of  this  battle  ?  Tell  how  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill 
occurred.  Describe  it.  Tell  something  of  "  Old  Put." 

110.  Effect  of  the  battle  ?    Death  of  General  Warren.     Give  some 
account  of  Ethan  Allen.    Why  were  the  New  Hampshire  Grants  so 
called  ?     Describe  the  capture  of  Ticonderoga. 

111.  Meeting  of  Second  Continental   Congress.     Its  action.      What 
was  the  condition  of  the  army?    What  expedition  was  undertaken 
against  Canada? 

112.  Describe  the  attack  upon  Quebec.     Its  end.    How  were  the  Brit- 
ish forced  to  leave  Boston  ? 

113.  How  had  they  treated  the  Boston  people?    The  Boston  boys? 
Describe    the  attack  on  Fort  Moultrie.     Its   effect      Tell  the  story 
of  Sergeant  Jasper. 

114.  When  was  the  Declaration  of  Independence  adopted?  How 
many  colonies  voted  for  it  ?  Tell  the  story  of  the  old  "  liberty  bell." 
How  did  the  campaign  near  New  York  occur  ?  Describe  the  battle  of 
Long  Island.  What  decided  it  in  favor  of  the  English  ? 

115.  By  what  providential  circumstance  did  the  Americans  escape  ? 
What  were  the  prison  ships  ?  Who  were  the  Hessians  ?  Tell  the  story 
of  Nathan  Hale. 

116, 117.  What  battles  occurred  while  Washington  was  falling  back  ? 
Describe  his  retreat  through  New  Jersey.  How  did  he  escape  ?  What 
general  was  captured  by  the  enemy  ?  What  was  the  condition  of  the 
country?  Describe  the  battle  of  Trenton.  Tell  the  story  of  Rail. 

118.  The   effect  of  this  battle.     Name  the  battles  of  1776  in  order. 
Describe  the  battle  of  Princeton.      What  providential   circumstance 
favored  the  attack  ? 

119.  How  did  the  battle  of  Brandywine  occur?    Describe  it.     What 
decided  it  in  favor  of  the  English  ?     What  previous  battle  did  it  resem- 
ble ?    Give  some  account  of  La  Fayette. 

120, 121.  Describe  the  battle  of  Germantown.  Why  did  the  Ameri- 
cans fail  ?  How  did  the  campaign  in  Pennsylvania  close  ?  What  dis- 
astrous attempt  was  made  by  the  British  at  the  north  ?  Describe  the 
burning  of  Danbury,  the  capture  of  General  Prescott,  and  the  murder 
of  Jane  McCrea.  What  events  attended  General  Burgoyne's  march 
south  ?  What  measures  were  taken  to  check  his  advance  ? 

122.  Who  succeeded  General  Schuyler  ?    What  was  Schuyler's  con- 
duct ?    What  events  deranged  Burgoyne's  plans  ?     How  was  the  siege 
of  Fort  Stanwix  raised  ?    Tell  something  of  Kosciusko. 

123.  Of  the  battle  of  Bennington.     For  what  incident  is  it  noted? 

124.  Describe  the  first  battle  of  Saratoga.     The  second  battle.     Who 
was  the  hero  of  the  fight?    How  did  General  Fraser  die  ?    Tell  some 
incidents  of  the  campaign. 


X  UNITED    STATES    niSTOEY. 

135.     Effect  of  these  fights  ?    Name  the  battles  of  1777  in  order.    De- 
scribe  the  sufferings  at  Valley  Forge. 

126.  How  could  the  soldiers  endure  such  misery  ?    What  news  came 
in  the  spring?     Story  told  of  Washington  by  Mr.  Potts?    Tell  some- 
thing of  the  Conway  cabal.    Histoiy  of  Benjamin  Franklin. 

127.  What  caused  tho  battle  of  Monmouth  to  happen  ?    Describe  its 
prominent  incident.     Give  history  of  General  Lee.    What  before  this 
have  we  heard  of  him  ?    What  story  is  told  of  General  Reed  ? 

128.  Of  Mary  Pitcher  ?    What  campaign  was  now  planned  by  the  aid 
of  the  French  ?    How  did  it  turn  out  ?    Describe  the  Wyoming  massa- 
cre.    What  poem  has  been  written  upon  this  event  ?    Ans.  Campbell's 
Gertrude  of  Wyoming.     Name  the  battles  of  1778  in  order. 

129.  Why  was  the  war  now  transferred  to  the  south  ?    How  did  the 
campaign  open  ?    Describe  the  attack  on  Savannah.     Who  were  killed? 
Tell  something  of  Count  Pulaski.     Was  the  French  aid  of  great  value? 

130.  What  characterized  the  campaign  at  the  north  ?    Tell  story  of 
General  Putnam.     Describe  the  capture  of  Stony  Point. 

131.  General  Sullivan's  expedition.     What  do  you  say  of  the  naval 
successes  ? 

132.  Describe  the  contest  between  the  Bon  Homme  Richard  and  the 
Serapis.    What  colony  was  conquered  by  the  British  during  this  year  ? 
Name  the  principal  battles  of  1779  in  order. 

133.  What  city  was  now  captured?    What  followed?    How  did  the 
battle  of  Camden  occur?     Describe  it.     What  was  its  result?     Tell 
something  of  the  famous  partisan  warfare  of  those  times. 

134.  Name  some  leaders.     Story  of  Marion.     Some  partisan  victories. 
Death  of  Colonel  Hayne.     Effect  of  this  independent  warfare?     Tell 
something  of  the  depreciation  of  the  continental  money. 

135.  What  mutiny  occurred  ?     Tell  the  story  of  Arnold's  treason. 

136.  Of  Andre's  capture  and  fate.     Of  Arnold's  escape  and  reward. 
In  what  estimation  was  he  held  ?     Name  the  principal  events  of  1780. 

137.  Condition  of  the  army  at  the  south  ?     Who  now  took  command  ? 
Describe  the  battle  of  the  Cowpens.    Describe  Greene's  celebrated  re- 
treat ?    How  many  times  did  the  rain  save  him  ? 

138.  By  what  two  battles  was  the  contest  at  the  south  closed  ?    Were 
the  English  or  Americans  victorious  ?     Give  anecdotes  illustrative  of 
the  patriotism  of  the  women  ?    Character  of  General  Greene  ? 

139.  Where  did  Cornwallis  go  after  the  failure  of  his  southern  cam- 
paign?    What  kind  of  a  war  did  he  wage  in  Virginia?     Why  did  he 
retire  to  Torktown  ?     What  plan  did  Washington  now  adopt  ? 

140.  Describe  the  siege.      Its  result.      The  surrender.     The  effect. 
On  what  plundering  tours  did  Arnold   go  ?     Story  told  of  Governor 
Nelson?     Name  the  principal  battles  of  1781  in  order. 

141.  How  was  the  news  of  Chrnwallis's  surrender  received  ? 

142.  Was  all  peril  to  our  liberties  over  ?     What  was  the  condition  of 


QUESTIONS     FOR    CLASS     USE.  XI 

the  country  ?  What  base  offer  was  made  to  Washington  ?  How  did 
he  pacify  the  army  ?  When  was  peace  signed  ?  What  was  the  re- 
sult ?  What  course  did  Washington  take? 

143.  Tell  something  of  the  weakness  of  the  government.  What  held 
the  colonies  together  ?  Cause  of  Shay's  rebellion  ?  What  need  was 
felt  ?  How  was  it  met  ?  When  was  the  Constitution  adopted  ?  What 
parties  arose  ?  How  soon  was  the  Constitution  ratified '!  How  many 
(states  were  necessary  ?  When  did  the  new  government  go  into  opera- 
tion? 


FOURTH   EPOCIj, 


147,148.  Limits  of  this  epoch?  Its  characteristic  idea?  Who  was 
the  first  President  of  the  United  States  ?  When  and  where  was  he  in- 
augurated? Where  was  the  capital?  Name  its  changes.  What  was 
the  popular  feeling  toward  Washington  ?  Give  some  account  of  Wash- 
ington's life  and  character. 

151.  What  difficulties  beset  the  government?     What  departments 
were  established?    Name  the  members  of  the  first  Cabinet.     What 
financial  measures  were  adopted  ? 

152.  By  whose  advice  ?    What  did  Webster  say  of  Hamilton?    Give 
an  account  of  the  whisky  rebellion.     Of  the  Indian  war  at  the  north- 
west.    What  difficulty  arose  with  England  ? 

153.  How  was  it  settled  ?    How  was  the  treaty  received  in  this  coun- 
try ?    What  treaty  was  made  with  Spam  ?    Algiers  ?    What  was  the 
popular  feeling  toward   France?    Why  was   Genet   recalled?    What 
parties  now  arose  ?    Who  were  the  leaders  of  each  ?    Their  views  ? 
Tell  something  of  Randolph. 

154.  Who  was  elected  second  President  ?    Tell  something  of  Adams's 
life.    What  were  the  alien  and  sedition  laws  ?   Why  were  they  passed  ? 

155.  How  were  they  received?    How  did  the  French  difficulty  look 
during  this  administration  ?    How  was  it  terminated  ?    What  reply  did 
Pinckney  make  to  the  base  offer  of  the  French  Directory.     State  of 
party  feeling  ?   Who  was  elected  third  President  ?   Why  was  not  Adams 
re-elected  ?  What  was  the  important  event  of  Jefferson's  administration  ? 
Why? 

156.  Tell  something  of  Jefferson's  life  and   character.     Tell  how 
Hamilton  was  killed.     What  became  of  Burr  ? 

157.  Tell  something  of  Fulton's  invention.    Of  the  war  with  Tripoli. 
Of  Lieutenant  Decatur's  exploit. 

158.  What  difficulty  now  arose  with  England  and  France  ?     What  is 
the   American   doctrine?    Was  the  impressment  of  seamen  general? 
What  was  the  issue  of  the  next  political  campaign  ?    Who  was  elected 
fourth  President  ?    Views  of  the  federalists  ? 

159.  Give  an  account  of  Madison's  life  and  character.    Of  the  battle 


yii  UK  IT  ED     STATES     HISTORY. 

of  Tippecanoe.    Effect  of  this  Indian  war  ?     State  how  the  breach  with 
England  widened.     Difficulty  between  the  President  and  Little  Belt. 

160.  When  was  war  declared  ?    How  long  did  the  war  last  ?     What 
was  the  opening  event  of  the  war  of  1812  ?     Describe  the  surrender  of 
Detroit.    The  battle  of  Queenstown  Heights. 

161.  How  did  the  naval  and  the  land  warfare  compare?    Describe 
the  fight  between  the  Constitution  and  Guerriere. 

162.  Between  the  Frolic  and  Wasp.    How  many  prizes  were  captured 
by  privateers  ?    What  are  privateers  ? 

163.  Effect  of  these  victories  ?    Name  the  battles  of  1812  in  order. 
Plan  of  the  campaign  of  1813.     What  did  the  armies  of  the  centre  and 
north  do  ?     What  did  the   British  do  ?    What   reverse  happened  to 
a  part  of  General   Harrison's  command?      Describe  this  rout.      Tell 
eomething  of  Proctor's  brutality. 

164.  Describe  the  three  attacks  made  by  Proctor.     In  which  was  he 
successful  ?    Describe  Perry's  victory  on  Lake  Erie. 

165.  What  gallant  exploit  was  performed  by  Perry  ?    What  issues 
depended  on  this  fight  ?    Describe  the  battle  of  the  Thames.     What 
celebrated  Indian  was  killed?    Effect  of  these  victories ?     Who  gained 
great  credit  ? 

166.  Describe  the  battle  between  the  Chesapeake  and  the  Shannon. 
What  were  Lawrence's   dying  words?     Who  used  them   in  battle? 
What  Indian  difficulties  ?     How  did   General   Jackson   avenge   the 
massacre  of  Fort  Minis  ?     Story  told  of  Jackson  ? 

167.  What  ravages  were  committed  by  Admiral  Cockburn?    Why 
was  New  England  spared  ?    Name  the  principal  battles  of  1813  in  order. 

168.  What  movement  was  made  by  General  Brown  ?    What  general 
led  the  advance?     What  battles  ensued?     Describe  the   battle  of 
Lundy's  Lane.    What  story  is  told  of  Colonel  Miller?    What  battle 
took  place  in  New  York  ?    How  did  that  happen  ?    Describe  it. 

169.  Describe  the  ravages  made  by  the  British  on  the  Atlantic  coast. 
Attack  on  Washington.     On  Baltimore.     Result  of  these  events.    The 
Hartford  Convention.    What  put  an  end  to  these  fears  ?    Why  was  the 
battle  of  New  Orleans  unnecessary  ? 

170.  Describe  this  battle.    How  did  it  happen  that  raw  militia  defeated 
English  veterans  ? 

171.  Results  of  this  war?    Effect  upon  the  federalist  party?    Who 
was  elected  fifth  President  ?    Was  Monroe  a  popular  man  ?    Give  some 
account  of  his  life  and  character.     What  was  the  characteristic  of  his 
administration  ? 

173.  What  was  the  Missouri  Compromise  ?  Cause  of  it  ?  Give  an 
account  of  La  Fayette's  visit.  What  territory  was  gained  by  treaty  ? 
Ans.  The  treaty  with  Spain  which  secured  Florida,  also  relinquished 
all  Spanish  authority  over  the  region  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains, 
churned  by  the  United  States  as  belonging  to  the  Louisiana  purchase, 


QUESTION'S     FOB    CLASS    USE.  xiii 

but  not  previously  acknowledged  by  Spain.  In  the  beginning  of  the 
war  of  1812,  a  strip  of  coast  about  fifty  miles  wide,  lying  between 
Florida  and  Louisiana,  considered  by  Spain  as  a  part  of  Florida,  had 
been  taken  by  the  United  States  under  the  claim  that  it  belonged  to  the 
Louisiana  purchase.  What  famous  doctrine  advanced  by  Monroe  ?  What 
political  changes  now  took  place  ?  What  party  was  arising  ?  Its  prin- 
ciples ?  Principles  of  the  democratic  party  ?  Champions  of  each  party  ? 
Which  party  absorbed  most  of  the  old  federalists  ?  Why  ?  Who  was 
elected  sixth  President  ?  How  ? 

174.  Give  some  account  of  the  life  and  character  of  John  Quincy 
Adams.     Of  his  administration.     Was  it  popular  ?    How  was  the  pro- 
tective tariff  received  ?     Who  was  elected  seventh  President  ? 

175.  Account  of  the  life  and  character  of  Jackson.     Contrast  him 
with  John  Quincy  Adams.     What  principle  did  he  introduce  ?    What 
was  the  nullification  ordinance  ? 

176.  How  did  Jackson  act?    Clay  pacify?    What  celebrated  debate 
took  place  ?     What  is  said  of  Calhoun  ?     Of  Clay's  patriotism  ?    What 
action  did  Jackson  take  concerning  the  United  States  Bank  ?   Its  effect  ? 

177.  How  did  speculation  become  rife?-   Give   an  account  of  the 
Black   Hawk   war.     The   Seminole  war.     What   is  said  of  Osceola? 
His  fate  ? 

178.  Difficulty  with  France?    How  was  it  settled?     Who  were  the 
Presidential   candidates?     What   were  their  principles?     Who  was 
elected  eighth  President  ?    Give  an  account  of  the  life  and  character  of 
Van  Buren.    Of  the  crisis  of  1837. 

179.  Its  effect  on  trade.     Of  the  patriot  war.    Of  Van  Buren's  Sub- 
Treasury  Bill.     Story  of  the  steamer  Caroline. 

180.  What  was  the  northeast  boundary  question?     How  was  it 
settled  ?     What  was  the  Ashburton  treaty  ?     Who  was  elected  ninth 
President  ?    Who  was  his  opponent  ?    Give  an  account  of  the  life  and 
character  of  Harrison.     What  was  the  cause  of  his  sudden  death? 
Who  succeeded  him  ? 

181.  Was  Tyler's  administration  successful?    Did  he  remain  true  to 
his  party  ?    What  course  did  he  take  with  regard  to  the  United  States 
Bank  ?    Give  an  account  of  the  Dorr  rebellion. 

182,183.  Of  the  anti- rent  difficulties.  Of  the  Mormons.  Of  the  origin 
and  early  history  of  this  sect.  Of  the  annexation  of  Texas.  Why  was 
this  measure  warmly  opposed  ?  How  was  the  northwestern  boundary 
question  settled  ? 

184.  Who  were  the  Presidential  candidates?    Give  an  account  of 
Clay.     Who  was  elected  eleventh  President? 

185.  Give  an  account  of  the  life  of  Polk.     What  war  now  broke  out  ? 
Give  an  account  of  Taylor's  campaign  on  the  Rio  Grande. 

186.  Describe  the  capture  of  Monterey.     The  battle  of  Buena  Vista. 

187.  What  battles  had  Taylor  fought  ?   By  what  incident  or  peculiarity 


XIV  UNITED     STATES     HISTORY. 

can  you   recollect   each  one?     Stories  told  of  Taylor?    Account  of 
Kearney's  expedition. 

188.  Describe  the  conquest  of  California.     Who  was  the  hero  of  this 
exploit  ?     Give  an  account  of  Colonel  Doniphan's  expedition.     Capture 
of  Vera  Cruz.    Battle  of  Cerro  Gordo. 

189.  What   city  now  surrendered?      Describe  the  battles   before 
Mexico.     The  result. 

190.  When  was  peace  concluded  ?    What  did  the  United  States  gain 
by  the  war  ?     What  was  the  WTilmot  proviso  ?     Give  an  account  of  the 
discovery  of  gold  in  California. 

191.  Of  the  vigilance  committees.    Of  the  political  parties.     Who 
was   elected  twelfth   President?     Give   an  account   of  the   life   and 
character  of  Taylor.     How  long  was  he  President  ?    Who  succeeded 
him  ?    What  questions  agitated  the  people  ? 

192.  Why  were  these  now  awakened?    Effect?     What  course   did 
Clay  take  ?    Webster  ?    Give  some  account  of  Webster. 

193.  What  was  the  Compromise  of  1850  ?    What  did  it  propose  ?    By 
what  name  is  it  commonly  known  ?    Give  an  account  of  the  fillibusters. 
Of  the  political  parties.     Who  was  elected  fourteenth  President  ? 

194.  Give  an  account  of  the  life  of  Pierce.     Of  the  Kansas-Nebraska 
bill.    What  is  squatter  sovereignty  ?    Tell  how  the  public  lands  have 
threatened  the  peace  of  the  country.    How  they  have  enhanced  its 
prosperity. 

195.  How  did  the  contest  arise  in  Kansas?     Its   result?     Cause  of 
Brook's  assault  on  Sumner  ?    What  was  the  Gadsden  purchase  ?     Give 
an  account  of  the  treaty  with  Japan.    What  political  parties  now  arose  ? 

196.  Who  was  elected  fifteenth  President  ?    Give  some  account  of  Bu- 
chanan's life.    Of  the  Know-Nothing  party.    Of  the  Dred  Scott  decision. 

197.  How  was  this  regarded  at  the  North  and  at  the  South  ?    Why 
was  the  Fugitive  Slave  law  obnoxious  ?    What  were  Personal  Liberty 
bills  ?    Give  an  account  of  the  John  Brown  affair.     What  was  the  ques- 
tion of  the  elections  ?   Who  were  nominated  for  the  Presidency  ?   Who 
was  elected  sixteenth  President  ? 

198.  Give  an  account  of  the  secession  of  the  South  on  the  election  of 
Lincoln.     Give  a  history  of  the  gradual  growth  of  this  movement. 

199.  When  and  where  was  the   Confederate  government   formed? 
Who  were  elected  President  and  Vice-President  ?     What  action  was 
taken  ?    Condition  of  the  country  ?    Give  an  account  of  the  condition 
of  affairs  at  Fort  Sumter. 

200.  Was  any  attempt  made  by  the  United  States  authorities  to  re- 
lieve it  ?     For  what  did  the  nation  wait  ? 

No  questions  are  given  upon  the  new  States  admitted  to  the  Union 
during  this  epoch,  as  each  class  will  naturally  commit  only  that  which 
concerns  its  own  State,  and  will  wish  to  add  to  the  facts  given  here 
those  obtained  from  other  sources. 


QUESTIONS    FOR    CLASS    USE.  XV 


FIFTIJ   EPOCH. 


215.  Give  an  account  of  Lincoln's  inauguration.     Of  his  early  history. 
Of  the  condition  of  the  country. 

216.  Was  war  a  necessity  ?    What  precipitated  this  issue  ?    When 
was  the  first  gun  of  the  Civil  War  fired  ?     Give  an  account  of  the  cap- 
ture of  Fort  Sumter. 

217.  Effect  of  this  event  ?    What  action  did  the  North  take  ?    The 
South?    When  and  where  was  the  first  blood  shed?    What  valuable 
stores  were  seized  ?    How*  did  the  war  in  Virginia  open  ? 

218.  How  was  Fortress  Monroe  protected  from  capture  ?     Give  an  ac- 
count of  the  Big  Bethel  affair.     Of  the  war  in  Western  Virginia.     Ori- 
gin of  the  term  "  Contrabands." 

219.  How  did  the  battle  of  Bull  Eun  take  place  ?    Describe  it.    By 
what  peculiarity  can  you  recollect  it  ?    Its  date  ?    How  did  Jackson  re- 
ceive the  name  "  Stonewall "  ? 

220.  Give  an  account  of  the  retreat.     Its  effect.     Of  the  battle  at 
Ball's  Bluff.     Who  now  took  command  of  the  Union  troops  ? 

221.  Give  an  account  of  the  war  in  Missouri.     What  battles  were 
fought  ?    What  leaders  on  each  side  ?    What  Union  general  who  after- 
ward became  celebrated  ?     Condition  of  affairs  in  the  border  States  ? 

222.  What  step  did  Davis  take  1    Number  of  vessels  in  the  Union 
navy  ?    What  naval  expeditions  were  made  ?    What  places  captured  ? 
What  was  the  peculiarity  of  the  attack  on  the  Port  Koyal  forts  ?    De- 
scribe the  Trent  affair. 

223.  Give  a  general  review  of  the  first  year  of  the  war.    Describe  the 
preservation  of  Fort  Pickens.     Situation  at  the  opening  of  1862.     What 
was  the  plan  of  the  campaign  ? 

224.  What  was  the  Confederate  line  of  defence  at  the  West  ?     Union 
plan  of  attack  ?    Where  was  the  first  attack  ?    Describe  the  capture  o.f 
Fort  Henry. 

225.  Fort  Donelson.     Story  told  of  General  Grant.    Effect  of  these 
victories.       What  was  the  next  movement  ?      Describe  the  battle  of 
Shiloh  or  Pittsburg  Landing. 

226.  By  what  peculiarity  can  you  recollect  it  ?    How  did  the  battle 
turn  on  the  second  day  ? 

227.  How  was  Corinth  captured  ?    Describe  the  taking  of  Island  No. 
10.     What  were  the  effects  of  the  Shiloh  battle  ? 

228.  What  line  was  now  held  by  the  Union  army  ?    Where  were  the 
Confederates  located?     What  movements  did  they  make  to  break 
through  the  Union  lines  ?    Describe  Bragg's  expedition.     Was  it  suc- 
cessful ?     Cause  of  the  battles  of  luka  and  Corinth  ?     Result? 

229.  How  was  Bragg's  second  expedition  stopped?    Describe  the  bat- 
tle of  Murfreesboro.    What  was  its  effect?    What  coincidence  ? 


XVI  UNITED     STATES     HISTORY. 

230.  What  was  Grant's  plan  for  an  expedition  against  Vicksburg  ? 
Was  it  successful?     What  event   closed  the   Mississippi   campaign? 
What  battle  was  fought  in  Missouri  ?    Condition  of  the  State  ?    What 
massacre  occurred  in  Kansas  ? 

231,  232.  Describe  the  capture  of  New  Orleans  by  Farragut.     Burn- 
side's  expedition  against  Roanoke  Island.     What  was  the  importance 
of  Roanoke  Island  ? 

233,  234.  What  places  in  Florida  were  captured?  Describe  the  battle 
between  the  Monitor  and  the  Merrimac.  Its  results. 

235.  Object  of  the  war  in  the  East  ?  What  campaign  was  under- 
taken? Who  was  the  commanding  general?  Describe  the  siege  of 
Yorktown. 

336.  The  battle  of  Williamsburg.  What  checked  McClellan's  ad- 
vance ?  What  battle  ensued  ?  Its  result  ?  What  was  now  the  expec- 
tation of  the  Union  army  ? 

237.  How  did  General  Joseph  E.  Johnston  thwart  General  McClellan's 
plan  ?     Give  an  account  of  Jackson  in  the  Shenandoah.     Effect  of  this 
movement  ?     Story  told  of  Jackson. 

238.  Describe  the  battle  of  Fair  Oaks.    How  was  the  Union  advance 
on  Richmond  checked  ?     Who  now  took  command  of  the  Confederate 
army  ?     What  plan  did  McClellan  form  ? 

239.  Describe  the  seven  days'  battles.     In  what  way  was  the  retreat 
conducted  ?    With  what  battle  did  it  close  ? 

240.  Effect  of  this  campaign  ?    Feeling  at  the  North  ?    Why  did  Lee 
now  march  North  ?    Who  took  command  of  the  Union  army  before 
Wasliington  ?    Describe  Lee's  campaign  against  Pope. 

241.  Its  effect.    What  plan  did  Lee  now  adopt?    Who  assumed 
command  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  ?     Describe  McClellan's  move- 
ments in  pursuit.    On  what  expedition  was  Jackson  sent? 

242.  Describe  the  battle  of  Antietam.    Its  effect. 

243.  The  battle  of  Fredericksburg.    Give  a  review  of  the  second  year 
of  the  war. 

244.  What  Indian  conflict  at  the  West  ?    What  was  the  situation  at 
the  beginning  of  the  year  1863  ?    What  movement  did  Grant  make 
against  Vicksburg? 

245.  Describe  this  campaign.     Its  result.     The  effect. 

246.  The  movements  of  Rosecrans  in  Tennessee  and  Georgia.     Gen 
eral  Morgan's  raid. 

247-249.  The  battle  of  Chickamauga.  By  what  event  can  you  recol- 
lect it  ?  Describe  the  situation  at  Chattanooga.  The  battle  of  Look- 
out Mountain.  Attack  on  Missionary  Ridge.  Its  effect. 

250.  The  siege  of  Knoxville.     The  battle  of  Chancellorsville. 

251.  Lee's  second  invasion  of  the  North. 

252-254.  The  battle  of  Gettysburg— first  day,  second  day,  third  day. 
Its  effect.  The  attack  on  Charleston.  What  two  contemporaneous 


QUESTIONS     FOB     CLASS     USE.  XV11 

events  ?     What  was  the  "  swamp  angel  "  ?    What  do  you  say  of  the 
negro  troops ?    Of  their  charge  on  Fort  Wagner  ? 

255.  Give  a  general  review  of  the  third  year  of  the  war.     State  the 
situation  at  the  beginning  of  the  year  1864.     Grant's  plan. 

256.  Describe  Johnston's  plan  of  defence.     How  did  Sherman  drive 
him  from  these  positions  ?     Name  the  battles.     Who  succeeded  John- 
ston in   command?     What   followed?     How  did    Sherman    capture 
Atlanta  ?     The  effect  ? 

258.  What  prevented  Sherman's  advance  into  Georgia  ?    How  was 
he  relieved  of  this  difficulty  ?    Where  did  Hood  go  ?    What  befell  him 
in  Tennessee  ?    Describe  the  battle  of  Nashville.     Its  effect. 

259.  Describe  Sherman's  march  to  the  sea.    Its  effect.    Kilpatrick's 
raid  to  Richmond. 

260.  Describe  the  battle  of  the  Wilderness.    By  what  peculiarity  was 
It  distinguished?    Its  result?     Describe  the  battle  of   Spottsylvania 
Court  House. 

261.  Its  result.    Describe  the  battle  of  Cold  Harbor.    What  famous 
despatch  did  Grant  send  ? 

262.  The  attack  on  Petersburg.     The  effect  of  this  campaign.     The 
three  co-operative  expeditions.     The  mine  explosion. 

263.  The  attack  on  the  Weldon  Railroad.     Why  did  Lee  send  Early 
into  the  Shenandoah  Valley  ?     Describe  Early's  raid. 

264.  What  Union  general  was  now  sent  to  this  region?    Describe 
Sheridan's  campaign.    His  ride  from  Winchester.    His  devastation  of 
the  country. 

265.  The  effect  of  his  campaign.    Describe  the  Red  River  expedi- 
tion.   The  rescue  of  Porter's  fleet.     The  massacre  at  Fort  Pillow. 

266.  The  attack  on  Mobile  by  Farragut.     First  expedition  against 
Fort  Fisher. 

267.  The  second  expedition.     Capture  of  the  fort.    Effectiveness  of 
the  blockade.    Blockade  runners. 

268.  Give  an  account  of  the  Confederate  cruisers.     Of  the  battle 
between  the  Alabama  and  the  Kearsarge. 

2ti9.  Of  the  Sanitary  and  Christian  Commissions.     Of  political  affairs. 

270.  Who  was  elected  President?    Give  a  general  review  of  the 
fourth  year  of  the  war. 

271.  Describe  the  situation  at  the  opening  of  the  year  1865.     Sher- 
man's march  through  the  Carolinas. 

272.  Its  result.    What  was  the   situation  at  Richmond?    Describe 
the  attack  on  Fort  Steadman.    Why  was  it  made  ? 

273.  Its  effect.    Describe  the  battle  of  Five  Forks.    Its  effect.    The 
capture  of  Petersburg  and  Richmond. 

274.  The  pursuit  of  Lee.    His  surrender. 

275.  276.  The  terms.    Its  effect.    Fate  of  Darvis.    The  cost  of  the  war. 
The  assassination  of  Lincoln. 

27?.  What  State  was  added  during  this  epoch? 


XY111  UNITED     STATES    HISTOET. 


SIXTH   EPOCIJ, 


281.  Who  became  President  on  the  death  of  Lincoln  ?    Give  an  ac- 
count of  the  life  of  Johnson.     What  was  the  size  of  the  two  armies  at 
the  close  of  the  war  ?    What  did  their  peaceful  discharge  prove  ? 

282.  What  do  you  mean  by  "  reconstruction  "  ?    What  was  the  recon- 
struction policy  of  Johnson  ?    What  is  the  Thirteenth  Amendment  ? 

283.  What  was  the  condition  of  the  public  finances  ?     What  was  the 
reconstruction  policy  of  Congress?     Result  of  this  clashing  between 
Congress  and  the  President?    On  what  conditions  were  the  seceded 
States  finally  readmitted  to  their  former  position  in  the  Union  ? 

284.  Why  was  Johnson  impeached  ?    Its  result  ?    What  is  the  Four- 
teenth Amendment  ?    What  Indian  war  now  arose  ?    How  was  it  termi- 
nated ?    Give  an  account  of  the  French  interference  in  Mexico.    How 
did  it  end  ? 

285.  Of  the  laying  of  the  Atlantic  Cable. 

286.  What  territory  was  added  to  the  United  States?     Of  what 
value  ?    Give  an  account  of  the  Fenian  excitement  in  1866. 

287.  Of  the  treaty  with  China.     What  State  was  admitted  soon  after 
the  close  of  the  Civil  War?    Who  were  the  Presidential  candidates? 
Who  was  elected  eighteenth  President  ? 

288.  Give  an  account  of  the  Pacific  Railroad,  and  its  value  to  the 
country.     What  new  railroad  is  building  ?    What  is  the  climate  in  the 
far  north  along  the  Mississippi  Valley  and  the  Pacific  coast  ?    Extent 
of  the  public  lands  ? 

289.  What  is  the  Fifteenth  Amendment  ?    What  difficulty  arose  with 
England  ?    What  was  the  High  Commission  ?    Give  some  account  of 
Shnto  Domingo,  and  its  application  to  be  annexed  to  the  United  States  T 


1.  In  what  battle  was  Molly  Stark  the  watchword? 

2.  What  battle  occurred  when  both  armies  were  marching  to  make  a 

night  attack  upon  each  other  ? 

3.  What  battles  have  resulted  in  the  destruction  or  surrender  of  an 

entire  army  ? 

4.  What  general  rushed  into  battle  without  orders  and  won  it  ? 

5.  What  trees  are  celebrated  in  our  history  ? 

6.  In  what  battle  did  Washington  bitterly  rebuke  the  commanding 

general,  and  himself  rally  the  troops  to  battle  ? 

7.  What  three  ex-Presidents  died  on  the  4th  of  July? 

8.  What  cities  have  undergone  a  siege  ? 

9.  Contrast  the  characters  of  Washington  and  Jefferson. 

10.  By  whom  and  on  what  occasion  were  the  words  used,  "  Millions  for 

defence,  but  not  one  cent  for  tribute  ?  " 

11.  Give  the  coincidences  in  the  lives  of  the  three  great  statesmen — 

Webster,  Clay,  and  Calhoun. 

12.  After  whom  ought  this  continent  to  have  been  named? 

13.  What  celebrated  philosopher,  when  a  boy,  went  without  meat  to 

buy  books  ? 

14.  How  did  a  half-witted  boy  once  save  a  fort  from  capture  ? 

15.  Name  the  retreats  famous  in  our  history. 

16.  When  did  a  fog  save  our  army  ?    A  rain  ? 

17.  When  did  a  stone  house  largely  decide  a  battle ?    A  stone  wall? 

18.  What  general  was  captured  through  his  carelessness,  and  exchanged 

for  another  taken  in  a  similar  way  ? 

19.  What  battles  have  been  decided  by  an  attack  in  the  rear? 

20.  Who  said,  "  I  would  rather  be  right  than  be  President"  ? 

21.  When  has  an  unnecessary  delay  cost  a  general  a  victory  ? 

22.  Name  the  events  in  our  history  which  seem  to  you  providential 

23.  What  general  died  at  the  moment  of  victory  ? 

24.  Name  some  defeats  which  had  all  the  effect  of  victoriea 
2o.  Of  what  general  was  this  said  to  be  always  true  ? 

26.  When  was  the  Mississippi   River  the  western  boundary  of  the 

United  States?     The  Eocky  Mountains? 

27.  What  territory  has  the  United  States  acquired  by  purchase  ?    By 

conquest  ?    By  annexation  ? 

28.  What  Vice-Presidents  were  afterward  elected  Presidents? 

29.  What  navigator  shortened  the  voyage  across  the  Atlantic  ? 


XX  UXITED     STATES     HISTORY. 

30.  "What  tea  party  is  celebrated  in  our  history  ? 

31.  Who  was  President  from  1787  (the  adoption  of  the  constitution) 

to  1789? 

32.  How  many  attacks  have  been  made  on  Quebec  ? 

33.  Who  said,  "  I  am  not  worth  purchasing,  but  such  as  I  am  the  king 

of  England  is  not  rich  enough  to  buy  me  "  ? 

34.  Which  is  the  longer,  the  Atlantic  Cable  or  the  Pacific  Railroad? 

35.  Why  were  the   River  St.  Lawrence,  Florida,  St.  Augustine,  etc., 

so  named  ? 

36.  What  naval  commander  captured  his  antagonist  as  his  own  vessel 

was  sinking? 

37.  How  many  expeditions  have  been  made  into  Canada? 

38.  What  battle  was  preceded  by  prayer? 

39.  What  do  the  French  names  in  the  Mississippi  valley  indicate  ? 

40.  What  do  the  names  New  York,  New- England,  New  Hampshire. 

Georgia,  Carolina,  etc.,  indicate  ? 

41.  When  has  the  question  of  the  public  lands  threatened  the  Union? 

42.  Who,  in  a  frail  canoe,  on  a  stormy  night,  visited  an  Indian  wigwam 

to  save  the  lives  of  his  enemies  ? 

43.  In  what  battle  did  the  Continentals  gain  the  victory  by  falling  back 

and  then  suddenly  facing  about  upon  the  enemy  ? 

44.  How  many  times  has  Fort  Ticonderoga  been  captured  ? 

45.  Why  were  Davis's  Strait,  Baffin's  Bay,  Hudson  River,  Frobisher's 

Strait,  etc.,  so  named  ? 

46.  What  do  the   names   San   Salvador,  Santa  Cruz,  Vera  Cruz,  La 

Trinidad,  etc.,  indicate  ? 

47.  In  what  battles  had  the  opposing  generals  formed  the  same  plan  ? 

48.  What  Presidents  died  La  office  ? 

49.  What  father  and  son  were  Presidents  ? 

50.  What  administrations  have  been  most  popular? 

51.  Who  fired  the  first  gun  in  the  French  and  Indian  war  ? 

52.  What  battle  was  fought  and  gained  without  a  commanding  officer? 

53.  How  many  rebellions  have  occurred  in  our  history  ? 
54  Who  was  called  the  "  Great  Pacificator"  ?    Why  ? 

55.  What  was  the  "  Nullification  Act" ? 

56.  How  many  of  our  Presidents  have  been  military  men? 

57.  Why  did  not  Webster  and  Clay  become  Presidents? 

58.  Who  was  "  Rough  and  Ready" ? 

59.  Who  was  the  "  Sage  of  Monticello"  ? 

60.  What  noted  events  occurred  on  April  19th  i 

61.  In  whose  administration  was  the  largest  number  of  States  admitted 

to  the  Union  ? 

62.  In  which  administrations  were  none  ? 

63.  By  whom  and  under  what  circumstances  was  the  expression  used, 

"  Give  me  liberty  or  give  me  death  "  ? 


HISTOKICAL     RECREATIONS.  XXI 

64.  What  general  arose  from  a  sick  bed  to  lead  his  troops  into  a  battle 

in  which  he  was  killed? 

65.  What  five  ex-Presidents  died  in  the  decade  between  1860  and  1870  ? 

66.  Where  is  the  "  Cradle  of  Liberty"  ? 

67.  What  historical  memories  cluster  around  Santo  Domingo  ? 

68.  How  long  did  each  of  our  five  great  wars  last — (1)  the  French  and 

Indian  war;  (2)  the  Revolutionary  war;  (3)  the  war  of  1812; 
(4)  the  Mexican  war ;  and  (5)  the  Civil  war  ? 

69.  State  the  cause  of  each  of  these  wars. 

70.  Name  the  prominent  generals  who  acquired  celebrity  in  each. 

71.  Name  the  principal  battles  of  each. 

72.  Name  the  results  of  each. 

73.  What  fort  was  carried  by  a  midnight  assault  ? 

74.  What  general  escaped  by  riding  down  a  steep  precipice  ? 

75.  Who  drafted  the  Declaration  of  Independence? 

76.  Who  secured  its  adoption  in  the  Convention  ? 

77.  Name  the  Presidents  in  chronological  order. 

78.  How  many  of  our  Presidents  were  Virginians  ? 

79.  Who  was  the  " bachelor  President"  ? 

80.  State  to  what  party  each  President  belonged. 

81.  How  many  of  our  Presidents  were  poor  boys  ? 

82.  What  were  the  principles  of  the  whigs  ?     The  democrats  ? 

83.  What   party  adopted  the   views   of  the  old  federalists  on  the 

United  States  Bank,  etc.  ? 

84.  How  many  Presidents  have  served  two  terms  ? 

85.  What  battle  was  fought  after  peace  was  declared  ? 

86.  On  what  issue  was  Polk  elected  President  ? 

87.  Contrast  John  Quincy  Adams  and  Andrew  Jackson. 

88.  On  what  mountains  have  battles  been  fought  ? 

89.  Who  used  the  expression,  "  We  have  met  the  enemy,  and  they 

are  ours  "  ? 

90.  Whose  dying  words  were,  "  Don't  give  up  the  ship  "  ? 

91.  When  was  a  general  blown  up  by  a  magazine,  in  the  moment 

of  victory  ? 

92.  What  Indian  chiefs  formed  leagues  against  the  whites  ? 

93.  What  celebrated  statesman  was  killed  in  a  duel  ? 

94.  What  States  were  named  from  mountain  ranges  ? 

95.  What  important  contemporaneous  events  can  you  name  ? 

96.  Was  Washington  ever  wounded  in  battle  ? 

97.  What  was  meant  by  saying  that  "  Clay  was  in  the  succession  "  ? 

98.  In  what  battle  did  Washington  show  the  most  brilliant  generalship? 

99.  What  officer  lost  his  life  because  he  neglected  to  open  a  note  ?    • 

100.  What  army  retreated  at  the  moment  of  victory  because  the  fog 

was  so  dense  that  it  did  not  see  how  successful  it  was  ? 

101.  How  many  States  were  named  from  their  principal  rivers? 


XX11  UNITED     STATES     HISTORY. 

102.  Name  some  celebrated  foreigners  who  have  fought  for  us. 

103.  What  rendered  Valley  Forge  memorable  ? 

104.  How  did  Harrison  gain  his  popularity  ?    Taylor  ? 

105.  Give  some  account  of  the  United  States  Bank. 

106.  In  what  war  was  Lincoln  a  captain  and  Davis  a  lieutenant  ? 

107.  What  colonel,  when  asked  if  he  could  take  a  battery,  replied, 

"I'll  try,  sir"? 

108.  Of  what  President  was  it  said  that  "  if  his  soul  were  turned  inside 

out,  not  a  spot  could  be  found  upon  it "  ? 

109.  What  town  and  army  were  surrendered  without  firing  a  shot  ? 

110.  For  how  many  years   was  the   Revolutionary  War   carried  on 

mainly  at  the  North  ?    At  the  South  ? 

111.  Who  was  "  Poor  Richard"  ? 

112.  Who  were  the  "  Green  Mountain  Boys"  ? 

113.  What  colony  was  founded  as  a  home  for  the  poor  ? 

114.  What  persecuted  people  settled  the  different  colonies  ? 

115.  What  colonies  are  named  after  a  king  or  a  queen  ? 

116.  What  religious  toleration  was  granted  in  the  different  colonies  ? 

117.  Which  colonies  early  enjoyed  the  greatest  liberty  ? 

118.  Which  colony  took  the  Bible  as  its  guide  ? 

119.  In  what  battle  was  the  left  wing,  when  separated  from  the  main 

body  by  a  river,  attacked  by  an  overwhelming  force  of  the 
enemy?    The  right  wing? 

120.  In  what  battle  did  both  generals  mass  their  strength  on  the  left 

wing,  expecting  to  crush  the  enemy's  right  ? 

121.  How  many  invasions  of  the  North  did  Lee  make  ? 

122.  What  victories  induced  him  to  attempt  each  of  these  invasions  ? 

123.  By  what  battle  was  each  invasion  checked  ? 

124.  How  many  invasions  of  Kentucky  did  Bragg  make  ? 

125.  How  was  each  stopped  ? 

126.  For  how  many  years  have  the  United  States  been  involved  in  war  ? 

127.  What  object  did  Penn,  Lord  Baltimore,  and  Oglethorpe  each  have 

in  founding  a  colony  in  the  new  world  ? 

128.  What  President  was  impeached  ? 

129.  What  ex- Vice-President  was  tried  for  treason  ? 

130.  Name  the  four  prominent  battles  fought  by  General  Taylor. 

181.  What    noted    expressions    of  General    Taylor  became    favorite 
mottoes  ?    Of  General  Grant  ? 

132.  What  President  vetoed  the  measures  of  the  party  which  elected 

him  to  office  ? 

133.  Of  what  statesman  was  it  said  that  "  he  was  in  the  public  service 

fifty  years,  and  never  attempted  to  deceive  his  countrymen  "  ? 

134.  Who  is  said  to  have  used  the  words,  "  A  little  more  grape,  Captain 

Bragg"? 


HISTORICAL    RECREATIONS.  XX1U 

135.  From  what  States  have  Presidents  been  elected  ? 

136.  Give  the  number  and  names  from  each  State. 

137.  What  battle  did  General  Gates  win?    What  battle  did  he  lose? 

138.  What  battles  did  Washington  win  ?    What  battles  did  he  lose  t 

139.  What  President  elect  came  to  Washington  in  disguise  ? 

140.  Give  a  brief  history  of  the  slavery  question. 

141.  When  were  slaves  introduced  into  this  country  ? 

142.  Name  the  generals  who  commanded  the  Army  of  the  Potomac. 

143.  Name  the    principal  battles  fought  by  McClellan — Rosecrans — • 

Bragg — Lee — Hooker — Sheridan — Grant — Sherman — Beauregard 
— Meade— Pope — Buell — Taylor— Scott — Thomas— Johnston. 

144.  Describe  the  "  March  to  the  Sea." 

145.  What  two  battles  were  fought  in  the  "  Wilderness  "  ? 

146.  What  was  the  "  Missouri  Compromise  "  1    The  "  Compromise  of 

1850  "  ? 

147.  What  is  "  squatter  sovereignty  "  ?    Who  was  its  author  ? 

148.  Of  whom  was  it  said  that  "  he  touched  the  dead  corpse  of  public 

credit,  and  it  sprang  upon  its  feet "  ? 

149.  What  were  the  "  alien  and  sedition  laws  ?  " 

150.  Who  was  "  the  old  man  eloquent "  ? 

151.  When  was  the  first  railroad?      The  first  steamboat?    The  first 

magnetic  telegraph  ? 

152.  When  was  the  Erie  Canal  opened?    The  Pacific  Railroad? 

153.  What  President  introduced  "  rotation  in  office  "  ? 

154.  Why,  in  the  Missouri  Compromise,  was  36°  30'  taken  as  the  boun- 

dary between  the  slave  and  the  free  States  ? 

155.  What  is  the  "  Monroe  Doctrine  "  ? 

156.  Who  was  the  inventor  of  the  cotton-gin  ? 

157.  What  is  a  "  protective  tariff"  ? 

158.  What  is  meant  by  "  Reconstruction  "  ? 

159.  What  Presidents  were  not  elected  to  that  office  by  the  people? 

160.  To  what  party  did  Henry  Clay  belong  ?    J.Q.Adams?     Thomas 

Jefferson  ?  John  C.  Calhoun  ?  Andrew  Jackson  ?  Daniel  Web- 
ster? Stephen  A.  Douglas?  Alexander  Hamilton?  George 
Washington  ? 

161.  What  President  had  not  voted  for  forty  years? 

162.  What  two  distinguished  generals  of  the  same  name  served  in  the 

Confederate  army  ?     Name  the  battles  fought  by  each. 

163.  What  was  the  "  Dred  Scott  decision  "  ? 

164.  What  was  the  "  Kansas-Nebraska  Bill"? 

165.  Give  an  account  of  the  principal  parties  which  have  arisen  since 

the  Constitutional  Convention  of  1787. 

166.  Who  were  the  "  Silver  Greys  "  ?    The  "  Hunkers  "  ?    The  "  Barn- 

burners "  ?  The  "  Woolly-Heads  "  ?  The  "  Free-Soilers  "  ?  The 
"  Know-Nothings  "  ?  The  "  Anti-Renters  "  ?  The  "  Unionists  "  ? 


UNITED     STATES     HISTOKY. 

167.  Give  an  account  of  the  different  attempts  to  lay  the  Atlantic  cable 

168.  Give  a  history  of  the  difficulty  between  President  Johnson  and 

Congress. 

169.  What  nations  settled  the  different  States  ? 

170.  How  many  amendments  have  been  made  to  the  Constitution  1 

171.  What  was  the  "Hartford  Convention"? 

172.  What  are  "  State  rights  ?  " 

173.  What  was  the  Secretary  of  State  formerly  called? 

174.  Tell  some  stories  illustrating  the  patriotism  of  the  women  of  the 

Revolution. 

175.  Give  an  account  of  the  Public  Lands. 

176.  What  State  was  admitted  to  the  Union  first  after  the  original 

thirteen  ? 

177.  Who  are  the  "  Mormons  "? 

178.  For  what  is  Ethan  Allen  noted? 

179.  What  battles  have  been  fought  in  Virginia?    South  Carolina? 

Louisiana?    New  York?    Massachusetts?    New  Jersey?    Mary- 
land?   Pennsylvania?    Georgia?    Michigan? 

180.  What  was  the  "  Fugitive  Slave  Law"  ? 

181.  Name  some  unsuccessful  candidates  for  the  Presidency. 

182.  For  what  is  John  Brown  noted? 

183.  Who  were  the  "  Filibusters  "  ? 

184.  Give  an  account  of  Farragut's  most  celebrated  exploits. 

185.  Why  was  "  Stonewall  "  Jackson  so  called  ? 

186.  Give  an  account  of  Butler's  military  career. 

187.  What  was  the  most  prominent  event  of  Jefferson's  administration  1 

Jackson's  ?    Monroe's  ? 

188.  What  treaties  are  celebrated  in  our  history? 

189.  What  President  was  once  a  tailor's  apprentice  ? 

190.  What  was  the  object  of  the  "  American  party  "  ? 

191.  What  was  the  "  Gadsden  purchase  "  ? 

192.  Name  the  various  difficulties  which  have  arisen  with  England. 

193.  What  was  the  "  Wilmot  Proviso  "  ? 

194.  What  President   followed  Washington— Taylor— Jefferson— Lin- 

coln— J.  Q.  Adams — Pierce? 

195.  Who  was  President  in  1812—1832—1846—1850—1861  ? 

196.  Describe  the  operations  of  the  Confederate  cruisers  during  the 

Civil  War.     Of  the  "  blockade  runners." 

197.  What  distinguished  generals  have  been  unsuccessful  candidates 

for  the  Presidency  ? 

198.  Why  did  the  French  in  Canada  extend  their  explorations  west- 

ward   to    the  Mississippi    rather    than    southward    into    New 
York? 

199.  What  was  the  "  Trent  affair" ? 

200.  Name  and  describe  some  important  naval  engagements. 


of 


following  preamble  and  specifications,  known  as  the  Declaration  ol 
Independence,  accompanied  the  resolution  of  Richard  Henry  Lee,  which 
was  adopted  by  Congress  on  the  3d  day  of  July,  1776.    This  declaration 
as  agreed  to  on  the  4th,  and  the  transaction  is  thus  recorded  in  the 
Journal  for  that  day : 

"  Agreeably  to  the  order  of  the  day,  the  Congress  resolved  itself  into 
a  committee  of  the  whole,  to  take  into  their  further  consideration  the 
Declaration  ;  and,  after  some  time,  the  president  resumed  the  chair,  and  Mr.  Harrison 
reported  that  the  committee  have  agreed  to  a  declaration,  which  they  desired  him  to 
report.  The  Declaration  being  read,  was  agreed  to  as  follows :" 

A  DECLARATION    BY    TUT!    REPRESENTATIVES    OP    THE    UNITED    STATES    OP  AMERICA, 
IN  CONGEESS   ASSEMBLED. 

When,  in  the  course  of  human  events,  it  becomes  necessary  for  one  people  to  dis- 
solve the  political  bands  which  have  connected  them  with  another,  and  to  assume, 
among  the  powers  of  the  earth,  the  separate  and  equal  station  to  which  the  laws  of 
nature  and  of  nature's  God  entitle  them,  a  decent  respect  to  the  opinions  of  mankind 
requires  that  they  should  declare  the  causes  which  impel  them  to  the  separation. 

We  hold  these  truths  to  be  self-evident — that  all  men  are  created  equal ;  that  they 
are  endowed  by  their  Creator  with  certain  inalienable  rights  ;  that  among  these  are 
life,  liberty,  and  the  pursuit  of  happiness.  That,  to  secure  these  rights,  governments 
are  instituted  among  men,  deriving  their  just  powers  from  the  consent  of  the  gov- 
erned ;  that,  whenever  any  form  of  government  becomes  destructive  of  these  ends, 
it  is  the  right  of  the  people  to  alter  or  abolish  it,  and  to  institute  a  new  government, 
laying  its  foundations  on  such  principles,  and  organizing  its  powers  in  such  form,  as 
to  them  shall  seem  most  likely  to  effect  their  safety  and  happiness.  Prudence,  in- 
deed, will  dictate  that  governments  long  established  should  not  be  changed  for  light 
and  transient  causes  ;  and,  accordingly,  all  experience  hath  shown  that  mankind  are 
more  disposed  to  suffer,  while  evils  are  sufferable,  than  to  right  themselves  by  abol- 
ishing the  forms  to  which  they  are  accustomed.  But  when  a  long  train  of  abuses 
and  usurpations,  pursuing  invariably  the  same  object,  evinces  a  design  to  reduce 
them  under  absolute  despotism,  it  is  their  right,  it  is  their  duty,  to  throw  off  such 
government,  and  to  provide  new  guards  for  their  future  security.  Such  has  been  the 
patient  sufferance  of  these  colonies,  and  such  is  now  the  necessity  which  constrains 
them  to  alter  their  former  systems  of  government.  The  history  of  the  present  king 
of  Great  Britain  is  a  history  of  repeated  injuries  and  usurpations,  all  having  in  direct 
object  the  establishment  of  an  absolute  tyranny  over  these  States.  To  prove  this, 
let  facts  be  submitted  to  a  candid  world. 

1.  He  has  refused  his  assent  to  laws  the  most  wholesome  and  necessary  for  the 
public  good. 

2.  He  has  forbidden  his  governors  to  pass  laws  of  immediate  and  pressing  im- 
portance, unless  suspended  in  their  operations  till  his  assent  should  be  obtained ; 
and.  when  so  suspended,  he  has  utterly  neglected  to  attend  to  them. 

3.  He  has  refused  to  pass  other  laws  for  the  accommodation  of  large  districts  of   -3 
people,  unless  those  people  would  relinquish  the  right  of  representation  in  the  Legis- 
lature—a right  inestimable  to  them,  and  formidable  to  tyrants  only. 


XXVI  UNITED    STATES    HISTORY. 

4.  He  has  called  together  legislative  bodies  at  places  unusual,  uncomfortable,  and 
distant  from  the  repository  of  their  public  records,  for  the  sole  purpose  of  fatiguing 
them  into  compliance  with  his  measures. 

5.  He  has  dissolved  representative  houses  repeatedly,  for  opposing,  with  maniy 
firmness,  his  invasions  on  the  rights  of  the  people. 

6.  He  has  refused,  for  a  long  time  after  such  dissolutions,  to  cause  others  to  be 
elected,  whereby  the  legislative  powers,  incapable  of  annihilation,  have  returned  to 
the  people  at  large  for  their  exercise ;  the  State  remaining,  in  the  mean  time,  ex- 
posed to  all  the  dangers  of  invasions  from  without,  and  convulsions  within. 

7.  He  has  endeavored  to  prevent  the  population  of  these  States  ;  for  that  purpose 
obstructing  the  laws  for  the  naturalization  of  foreigners  ;  refusing  to  pass  others  to 
encourage  their  migration  hither,  and  raising  the  conditions  of  new  appropriations 
of  Jands. 

8.  He  has  obstructed  the  administration  of  justice,  by  refusing  his  assent  to  laws 
for  establishing  judiciary  powers. 

9.  He  has  made  judges  dependent  on  his  will  alone  for  the  tenure  of  their  offices, 
and  the  amount  and  payment  of  their  salaries. 

10.  He  has  erected  a  multitude  of  new  offices,  and  sent  hither  swarms  of  officers  to 
harass  our  people  and  eat  out  their  substance. 

11.  He  has  kept  among  us  in  times  of  peace,  standing  armies,  without  the  consent 
of  our  Legislatures. 

12.  He  has  affected  to  render  the  military  independent  of,  and  superior  to,  the  civil 
power. 

13.  He  has  combined  with  others  to  subject  us  to  a  jurisdiction  foreign  to  our  con- 
stitutions, and  unacknowledged  by  our  laws ;  giving  his  assent  to  their  acts  of  pre- 
tended legislation : 

14.  For  quartering  large  bodies  of  armed  troops  among  us  ; 

15.  For  protecting  them,  by  a  mock  trial,  from  punishment  for  any  murders  which 
they  should  commit  on  the  inhabitants  of  these  States  ; 

16.  For  cutting  off  our  trade  with  all  parts  of  the  world ; 

17.  For  imposing  taxes  on  us  without  our  consent ; 

18.  For  depriving  us,  in  many  cases,  of  the  benefits  of  trial  by  jury ; 

19.  For  transporting  us  beyond  seas,  to  be  tried  for  pretended  offences ; 

20.  For  abolishing  the  free  system  of  English  laws  in  a  neighboring  province,  es- 
tablishing therein  an  arbitrary  government,  and  enlarging  its  boundaries,  so  as  to 
render  it  at  once  an  example  and  fit  instrument  for  introducing  the  same  absolute 
rule  into  these  colonies  ; 

21.  For  taking  away  our  charters,  abolishing  our  most  valuable  laws,  and  altering, 
fundamentally,  the  forms  of  our  governments  ; 

22.  For  suspending  our  own  Legislatures,  and  declaring  themselves  invested  with 
power  to  legislate  for  us  in  all  cases  whatsoever. 

23.  He  has  abdicated  government  here,  by  declaring  us  out  of  his  protection,  and 
waging  war  against  us. 

24.  He  has  plundered  our  seas,  ravaged  our  coasts,  burned  our  towns,  and  de- 
stroyed the  lives  of  our  people. 

25.  He  is  at  this  time  transporting  large  armies  of  foreign  mercenaries  to  complete 
the  works  of  death,  desolation,  and  tyranny,  already  begun  with  circumstances  of 
cruelty  and  perfidy  scarcely  paralleled  in  the  most  barbarous  ages,  and  totally  un- 
worthy the  head  of  a  civilized  nation. 

26.  He  has  constrained  our  fellow-citizens,  taken  captive  on  the  high  seas,  to  bear 
arms  against  their  country,  to  become  the  executioners  of  their  friends  and  brethren, 

to  fall  themselves  by  their  hands. 

He  has  excited  domestic  insurrection  among  us,  and  has  endeavored  to  bring 

[ie  inhabitants  of  our  frontiers  the  merciless  Indian  savages,  whose  known  rule 

i  is  an  undistinguished  destruction  of  all  ages,  sexes,  and  conditions. 


DECLARATION     OF     INDEPENDENCE.      XXV11 


In  every  stage  of  these  oppressions  we  have  petitioned  for  redress  In  the  most 
humble  terms  ;  our  repeated  petitions  have  been  answered  only  by  repeated  injury. 
A  prince  whose  character  is  thus  marked  by  every  act  which  may  define  a  tyrant,  is 
unfit  to  be  the  ruler  of  a  free  people. 

Nor  have  we  been  wanting  in  our  attentions  to  our  British  brethren.  We  have 
warned  them,  from  time  to  time,  of  attempts  by  their  legislature  to  extend  an  un- 
warrantable jurisdiction  over  us.  We  have  reminded  them  of  the  circumstances  of 
our  emigration  and  settlement  here.  We  have  appealed  to  their  native  justice  and 
magnanimity,  and  we  have  conjured  them  by  the  ties  of  our  common  kindred  to  dis- 
avow these  usurpations,  which  would  inevitably  interrupt  our  connections  and  cor- 
respondence. They,  too,  have  been  deaf  to  the  voice  of  justice  and  of  consanguinity. 
We  must,  therefore,  acquiesce  in  the  necessity  which  denounces  our  separation,  and 
hold  them  as  we  hold  the  rest  of  mankind — enemies  in  war ;  in  peace,  friends. 

We,  therefore,  the  representatives  of  the  United  States  of  America,  in  general 
Congress  assembled,  appealing  to  the  Supreme  Judge  of  the  world  for  the  rectitude 
of  our  intentions,  do,  in  the  name  and  by  the  authority  of  the  good  people  of  these 
colonies,  solemnly  publish  and  declare  that  these  united  colonies  are,  and  of  right 
ought  to  be,  free  and  independent  States  ;  that  they  are  absolved  from  all  allegiance 
to  the  British  crown,  and  that  all  political  connection  between  them  and  the  state  of 
Great  Britain  is,  and  ought  to  be,  totally  dissolved,  and  that,  as  free  and  independent 
States,  they  have  full  power  to  levy  war,  conclude  peace,  contract  alliances,  establish 
commerce,  and  do  all  other  acts  and  things  which  independent  States  may  of  right 
do.  And  for  the  support  of  this  Declaration,  with  a  firm  reliance  on  the  protection 
of  Divine  Providence,  we  mutually  pledge  to  each  other  our  lives,  our  fortunes,  and 
our  sacred  honor. 


ADAMS,  JOHN, 

ADAMS,  SAMUEL, 

BARTLETT,  JOSIAH, 

BRAXTON,  CABTEB, 

CARROLL,  CHARLES,  of  Carrollton, 

CHASE,  SAMUEL, 

CLARK,  ABRAHAM, 

CLTMEB,  GEORGE, 

ELLERT,  WILLIAM, 

FLOYD,  WILLIAM, 

FRANKLIN,  BENJAMIN, 

GERRY,  ELBBIDGE, 

GWINNET,  BUTTON, 

HALL,  LYMAN, 

HANCOCK,  JOHN, 

HARBISON,  BENJAMIN, 

HART,  JOHN, 

HEYWABD,  THOMAS,  Jr., 

HEWES,  JOSEPH, 

HOOPER,  WILLIAM, 

HOPKINS,  STEPHEN, 

HOPKINSON,  FRANCIS, 

HUNTINGTON,  SAMUEL, 

JEFFERSON,  THOMAS, 

LEE,  FRANCIS  LIQHTPOOT, 

LEE,  RICHABD  HENRY, 

LEWIS,  FRANCIS, 

LIVINGSTON,  PHILIP, 


LYNCH,  THOMAS,  Jr., 
M'KBAN,  THOMAS, 
MIDDLETON,  ARTHUR, 
MORRIS,  LEWIS, 

MOBBIS,  ROBEBT, 

MORTON,  JOHN, 
NELSON,  THOMAS,  Jr., 
PACA,  WILLIAM, 
PAINE,  ROBERT  TREAT, 
PENN,  JOHN, 
READ,  GEORGE, 
RODNEY,  C^SAB, 
Ross,  GEORGE, 
RUSH,  BENJAMIN,  M.D., 
RUTLEDGE,  EDWABD, 
SHERMAN,  ROGER, 
SMITH,  JAMES, 
STOCKTON,  RICHARD, 
STONE,  THOMAS, 
TAYLOR,  GEORGE, 
THORNTON,  MATTHEW, 
WALTON,  GEORGE, 
WHIPPLE,  WILLIAM, 
WILLIAMS,  WILLIAM, 
WILSON,  JAMES, 
WITHERSPOON,  JOHN, 
WOLCOTT,  OLIVER, 
WYTHE,  GEORGE. 


Of    THE 


E,  the  People  of  the  United  States,  in  order  to  form  a  more  perfect  union, 
establish  justice,  insure  domestic  tranquillity,  provide  for  the  common 
defence,  promote  the  general  welfare,  and  secure  the  bbssings  of  liberty 
to  ourselves  and  our  posterity,  do  ordain  and  establish  this  CONSTITUTION 
for  the  United  States  of  America. 

ARTICLE   I. 

SECTION  1.  All  legislative  powers  herein  granted  shall  be  vested  in  a  Congress  of 
the  United  States,  which  shall  consist  of  a  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives. 

SECTION  2.  The  House  of  Representatives  shall  be  composed  of  members  chosen 
every  second  year  by  the  people  of  the  several  States,  and  the  electors  in  each  State 
shall  have  the  qualifications  requisite  for  electors  of  the  most  numerous  branch  of 
the  State  Legislature. 

No  person  shall  be  a  representative  who  shall  not  have  attained  to  the  age  of 
twenty-five  years,  and  been  seven  years  a  citizen  of  the  United  States,  and  who  shall 
not,  when  elected,  be  an  inhabitant  of  that  State  in  which  he  shall  be  chosen. 

Representatives  and  direct  taxes  shall  be  apportioned  among  the  several  States 
which  may  be  included  within  this  Union,  according  to  their  respective  numbers, 
which  shall  be  determined  by  adding  to  the  whole  number  of  free  persons,  including 
those  bound  to  service  for  a  term  of  years,  and  excluding  Indians  not  taxed,  three- 
fifths  of  all  other  persons.  The  actual  enumeration  shall  be  made  within  three  years 
after  the  first  meeting  of  the  Congress  of  the  United  States.,  and  within  every  subse- 
quent term  of  ten  years,  in  such  manner  as  they  shall  by  law  direct.  The  number  of 
representatives  shall  not  exceed  one  for  every  thirty  thousand,  but  each  State  shall 
have  at  least  one  representative :  and  until  such  enumeration  shall  be  made,  the 
State  of  New  Hampshire  shall  be  entitled  to  choose  three ;  Massachusetts,  eight ; 
Rhode  Island  and  Providence  Plantations,  one  ;  Connecticut,  five  ;  New  York,  six ;  , 
New  Jersey,  four ;  Pennsylvania,  eight ;  Delaware,  one ;  Maryland,  six ;  Virginia, 
ten ;  North  Carolina,  five  ;  South  Carolina,  five  ;  and  Georgia,  three. 

When  vacancies  happen  in  the  representation  from  any  State,  the  executive  au- 
thority thereof  shall  issue  writs  of  election  to  fill  such  vacancies. 

The  House  of  Representatives  shall  choose  their  Speaker  and  other  officers ;  and 
shall  have  the  sole  power  of  impeachment. 

SECTION  3.  The  Senate  of  the  United  States  shall  be  composed  of  two  senators 
from  each  State,  chosen  by  the  Legislature  thereof,  for  six  years  ;  and  each  senator 
shall  have  one  vote. 

Immediately  after  they  shall  be  assembled  in  censequer.ee  of  the  first  election,  they 
shall  be  divided  as  equally  as  may  be  into  three  classes.  The  seats  of  the  senators 
of  the  first  class  shall  be  vacated  at  the  expiration  of  the  second  year ;  of  the  second 


CONSTITUTION    OF    THE    UNITED    STATES.       XXIX 

class,  at  the  expiration  of  the  fourth  year ;  and  of  the  third  class,  at  the  expiration  of 
the  sixth  year,  so  that  one-third  may  he  chosen  every  second  year ;  and  if  vacancies 
happen  hy  resignation,  or  otherwise,  during  the  recess  of  the  Legislature  of  any 
State,  the  executive  thereof  may  make  temporary  appointments  until  the  next  meet- 
ing of  the  Legislature,  which  shall  then  fill  such  vacancies. 

No  person  shall  be  a  senator  who  shall  not  have  attained  to  the  age  of  thirty  years, 
and  been  nine  years  a  citizen  of  the  United  States,  and  who  shall  not,  when  elected, 
be  an  inhabitant  of  that  State  for  which  he  shall  be  chosen. 

The  Vice-President  of  the  United  States  shall  be  president  of  the  Senate,  but  shall 
have  no  vote,  unless  they  be  equally  divided. 

The  Senate  shall  choose  their  other  officers,  and  also  a  president  pro  tempore,  in 
the  absence  of  the  Vice-President,  or  when  he  shall  exercise  the  office  of  President 
of  the  United  States. 

The  Senate  shall  have  the  sole  power  to  try  all  impeachments :  When  sitting  for 
that  purpose,  they  shall  be  on  oath  or  affirmation.  When  the  President  of  the  United 
States  is  tried,  the  Chief-Justice  shall  preside :  and  no  person  shall  be  convicted 
without  the  concurrence  of  two-thirds  of  the  members  present. 

Judgment  in  cases  of  impeachment  shall  not  extend  further  than  to  removal  from 
office,  and  disqualification  to  hold  and  enjoy  any  office  of  honor,  trust,  or  profit  under 
the  United  States ;  but  the  party  convicted  shall  nevertheless  be  liable  and  subject  to 
indictment,  trial,  judgment,  and  punishment,  according  to  law. 

SECTION  4.  The  times,  places,  and  manner  of  holding  elections  for  senators  and 
representatives  shall  be  prescribed  in  each  State  by  the  Legislature  thereof;  but  the 
Congress  may  at  any  time,  by  law,  make  or  alter  such  regulations,  except  as  to  the 
places  of  choosing  senators. 

The  Congress  shall  assemble  at  least  once  in  every  year,  and  such  meeting  shall  bo 
on  the  first  Monday  in  December,  unless  they  shall  by  law  appoint  a  different  day. 

SECTION  5.  Each  house  shall  be  the  judge  of  the  elections,  returns,  and  qualifica- 
tions of  its  own  members,  and  a  majority  of  each  shall  constitute  a  quorum  to  do 
business  ;  but  a  smaller  number  may  adjourn  from  day  to  day,  and  may  be  autho- 
rized to  compel  the  attendance  of  absent  members,  in  such  manner,  and  under  such 
penalties,  as  each  house  may  provide. 

Each  house  may  determine  the  rules  of  its  proceedings,  punish  its  members  for 
disorderly  behavior,  and,  with  the  concurrence  of  two-thirds,  expel  a  member. 

Each  house  shall  keep  a  journal  of  its  proceedings,  and  from  time  to  time  publish 
the  same,  excepting  such  parts  as  may  in  their  judgment  require  secresy,  and  the 
yeas  and  nays  of  tue  members  of  either  house  on  any  question  shall,  at  the  desire  of 
one-fifth  of  those  present,  be  entered  on  the  journal. 

Neither  house,  during  the  session  of  Congress,  shall,  without  the  consent  of  the 
other,  adjourn  for  more  than  three  days,  nor  to  any  other  place  than  that  in  which 
the  two  houses  shall  be  sitting. 

SECTION  6.  The  senators  and  representatives  shall  receive  a  compensation  for  their 
services,  to  be  ascertained  by  law,  and  paid  out  of  the  treasury  of  the  United  States. 
They  shall  in  all  cases,  except  treason,  felony,  and  breach  -of  the  peace,  be  privileged 
from  arrest  during  their  attendance  at  the  session  of  their  respective  houses,  and  in 
going  to  and  returning  from  the  same ;  and  for  any  speech  or  debate  in  either  house, 
they  shall  not  be  questioned  in  any  other  place. 

No  senator  or  representative  shall,  during  the  time  for  which  he  was  elected,  be 
appointed  to  any  civil  office  under  the  authority  of  the  United  States,  which  shall 
have  been  created,  or  the  emoluments  whereof  shall  have  been  increased,  during 
euch  time ;  and  no  person  holding  any  office  under  the  United  States,  shall  be  a 
member  of  either  house  during  his  continuance  in  office. 


SXX  UNITED     STATES    HISTOKY. 

SECTION  7.  All  bills  for  raising  revenue  shall  originate  in  the  House  of  Representa 
lives ;  but  the  Senate  may  propose  or  concur  with  amendments  as  on  other  bills. 

Every  bill  which  shall  have  passed  the  House  of  Representatives  and  the  Senate, 
shall,  before  it  become  a  law,  be  presented  to  the  President  of  the  United  States ;  if 
he  approve,  he  shall  sign  it,  but  if  not,  he  shall  return  it,  with  his  objections,  to  that 
house  in  which  it  shall  have  originated,  who  shall  enter  the  objections  at  large  on 
their  journal,  and  proceed  to  reconsider  it.  If  after  such  reconsideration,  two-thirds 
of  that  house  shall  agree  to  pass  the  bill,  it  shall  be  sent,  together  with  the  objec- 
tions, to  the  other  house,  by  which  it  shall  likewise  be  reconsidered,  and  if  approved 
by  two-thirds  of  that  house,  it  shall  become  a  law.  But  in  all  such  cases  the  votes 
of  both  houses  shall  be  determined  by  yeas  and  nays,  and  the  names  of  the  persons 
voting  for  and  against  the  bill  shall  be  entered  on  the  journal  of  each  house  respec- 
tively. If  any  bill  shall  not  be  returned  by  the  President  within  ten  days  (Sunday 
excepted)  after  it  shall  have  been  presented  to  him,  the  same  shall  be  a  law,  in  like 
manner  as  if  he  had  signed  it,  unless  the  Congress  by  their  adjournment  prevent  itB 
return,  in  which  case  it  shall  not  be  a  law. 

Every  order,  resolution,  or  vote  to  which  the  concurrence  of  the  Senate  and  House 
of  Representatives  may  be  necessary  (except  on  a  question  of  adjournment)  shall  be 
presented  to  the  President  of  the  United  States ;  and  before  the  same  shall  take 
effect,  shall  be  approved  by  him,  or  being  disapproved  by  him,  shall  be  repassed  by 
two-thirds  of  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives,  according  to  the  rules  and 
limitations  prescribed  in  the  case  of  a  bill. 

SECTION  8.  The  Congress  shall  have  power  to  lay  and  collect  taxes,  duties,  im- 
posts, and  excises,  to  pay  the  debts  and  provide  for  the  common  defence  and  general 
welfare  of  the  United  States ;  but  all  duties,  imposts,  and  excises  shall  be  uniform 
throughout  the  United  States ; 

To  borrow  money  on  the  credit  of  the  United  States ; 

To  regulate  commerce  with  foreign  nations,  and  among  the  several  States,  and 
with  the  Indian  tribes  ; 

To  establish  an  uniform  rule  of  naturalization,  and  uniform  laws  on  the  subject  of 
bankruptcies  throughout  the  United  States ; 

To  coin  money,  regulate  the  value  thereof,  and  of  foreign  coin,  and  fix  the  standard 
of  weights  and  measures  ; 

To  provide  for  the  punishment  of  counterfeiting  the  securities  and  current  coin  of 
the  United  States ; 

To  establish  post-offices  and  post-roads ; 

To  promote  the  progress  of  science  and  useful  arts,  by  securing,  for  limited  times, 
to  authors  and  inventors  the  exclusive  right  to  their  respective  writings  and  dis- 
coveries ; 

To  constitute  tribunals  inferior  to  the  Supreme  Court ; 

To  define  and  punish  piracies  and  felonies  committed  on  the  high  seas,  and  offences 
against  the  law  of  nations ; 

To  declare  war,  grant  letters  of  marque  and  reprisal,  and  make  rules  concerning 
captures  on  land  and  water ; 

To  raise  and  support  armies,  but  no  appropriation  of  money  to  that  use  shall  be 
for  a  longer  term  than  two  years ; 

To  provide  and  maintain  a  nary; 

To  make  rules  for  the  government  and  regulation  of  the  land  and  naval  forces ; 
X  To  provide  for  calling  forth  the  militia  to  execute  the  laws  of  the  Union,  suppress 
insurrections  and  repel  invasions ; 

To  provide  for  organizing,  arming,  and  disciplining  the  militia,  and  for  governing 
such  part  of  them  as  may  be  employed  in  the  service  of  the  United  States,  reserving 
to  the  States  respectively  the  appointment  of  the  officers,  and  the  authority  of  train- 
ing the  militia  according  to  the  discipline  prescribed  by  Congress ; 


CONSTITUTION    OF    THE    UNITED    STATES.       XXXI 

To  exercise  exclusive  legislation  in  all  cases  whatsoever  over  such  district  (not  ex. 
ceeding  ten  miles  square)  as  may,  by  cession  of  particular  States,  and  the  acceptance 
of  Congress,  become  the  seat  of  the  government  of  the  United  States,  and  to  exercise 
like  authority  over  all  places  purchased  by  the  consent  of  the  Legislature  of  the  State 
in  which  the  same  shall  be,  for  the  erection  of  forts,  magazines,  arsenals,  dockyards, 
and  other  needful  buildings  ; — And 

To  make  all  laws  which  shall  be  necessary  and  proper  for  carrying  into  execution 
the  foregoing  powers,  and  all  other  powers  vested  by  this  Constitution  in  the  govern- 
ment of  the  United  States,  or  in  any  department  or  officer  thereof. 

SECTION  9.  The  migration  or  importation  of  such  persons  as  any  of  the  States  now 
existing  shall  think  proper  to  admit,  shall  not  be  prohibited  by  the  Congress  prior 
to  the  year  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  eight,  but  a  tax  or  duty  may  be  imposed 
on  such  importation,  not  exceeding  ten  dollars  for  each  person. 

The.  privilege  of  the  writ  of  habeas  corpus  shall  not  be  suspended,  unless  when  in 
cases  of  rebellion  or  invasion  the  public  safety  may  require  it. 

No  bill  of  attainder  or  ex-post-facto  law  shall  be  passed. 

No  capitation  or  other  direct  tax  shall  be  laid,  unless  in  proportion  to  the  census 
or  enumeration  hereinbefore  directed  to  be  taken. 

No  tax  or  duty  shall  be  laid  on  articles  exported  from  any  State. 

No  preference  shall  be  given  by  any  regulation  of  commerce  or  revenue  to  the 
ports  of  one  State  over  those  of  another ;  nor  shall  vessels  bound  to,  or  from,  one 
State,  be  obliged  to  enter,  clear,  or  pay  duties  in  another. 

No  money  shall  be  drawn  from  the  treasury  but  in  consequence  of  appropriations 
made  by  law ;  and  a  regular  statement  and  account  of  the  receipts  and  expenditures 
of  all  public  money  shall  be  published  from  time  to  time. 

No  title  of  nobility  shall  be  granted  by  the  United  States:  And  no  person  holding 
any  office  of  profit  or  trust  under  them,  shall,  without  the  consent  of  the  Congress, 
accept  of  any  present,  emolument,  office,  or  title,  of  any  kind  whatever,  from  any 
king,  prince,  or  foreign  state. 

SECTION  10.  No  State  shall  enter  into  any  treaty,  alliance,  or  confederation  ;  grant 
letters  of  marque  and  reprisal ;  coin  money ;  emit  bills  of  credit ;  make  anything  but 
gold  and  silver  coin  a  tender  in  payment  of  debts ;  pass  any  bill  of  attainder,  ex-post- 
facto  law,  or  law  impairing  the  obligation  of  contracts,  or  grant  any  title  of  nobility. 

No  State  shall,  without  the  consent  of  the  Congress,  lay  any  impost  or  duties  on 
imports  or  exports,  except  what  may  be  absolutely  necessary  for  executing  its  in- 
spection laws ;  and  the  net  produce  of  all  duties  and  impost,  laid  by  any  State  on 
imports  or  exports,  shall  be  for  the  use  of  the  treasury  of  the  United  States ;  and  all 
such  laws  shall  be  subject  to  the  revision  and  control  of  the  Congress. 

No  State  shall,  without  the  consent  of  Congress,  lay  any  duty  of  tonnage,  keep 
troops,  or  ships-of-war,  in  time  of  peace,  enter  into  any  agreement  or  compact  with 
another  State,  or  with  a  foreign  power,  or  engage  in  war,  unless  actually  invaded,  or 
in  such  imminent  danger  as  will  not  admit  of  delay. 

ARTICLE    II. 

SECTION  1,  The  executive  power  shall  be  vested  in  a  President  of  the  United  States 
of  America.  He  shall  hold  his  office  during  the  term  of  four  years,  and,  together 
with  the  Vice-President,  chosen  for  the  same  term,  be  elected,  as  follows : 

Each  State  shall  appoint,  in  such  manner  as  the  Legislature  thereof  may  direct,  a 
number  of  electors,  equal  to  the  whole  number  of  senators  and  representatives  to 
which  the  State  may  be  entitled  in  the  Congress :  but  no  senator  or  representative, 
or  person  holding  an  office  of  trust  or  profit  under  the  United  States,  shall  be  ap- 
pointed an  elector. 


UNITED    STATES    HISTORY. 

[The  electors  shall  meet  in  their  respective  States,  and  vote  by  ballot  for  two  per. 
sons,  of  whom  one  at  least  shall  not  be  an  inhabitant  of  the  same  State  with  them- 
selves. And  they  shall  make  a  list  of  all  the  persons  voted  for,  and  of  the  number 
of  votes  for  each  ;  which  list  they  shall  sign  and  certify,  and  transmit  sealed  to  the 
Beat  of  the  government  of  the  United  States,  directed  to  the  president  of  the  Senate. 
The  president  of  the  Senate  shall,  in  the  presence  of  the  Senate  and  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives, open  all  the  certificates,  and  the  votes  shah1  then  be  counted.  The  person 
having  the  greatest  number  of  votes  shall  be  the  President,  if  such  number  be  a 
majority  of  the  whole  number  of  electors  appointed ;  and  if  there  be  more  than  one 
who  have  such  majority,  and  have  an  equal  number  of  votes,  then  the  House  of 
Representatives  shall  immediately  choose  by  ballot  one  of  them  for  President ;  and 
if  no  person  have  a  majority,  then  from  the  five  highest  on  the  list  the  said  house 
shall,  in  like  manner,  choose  the  President.  But  in  choosing  the  President,  the 
votes  shall  be  taken  by  States,  the  representation  from  each  State  having  one  vote  ; 
a  quorum  for  this  purpose  shall  consist  of  a  member  or  members  from  two-thirds  of 
the  States,  and  a  majority  of  all  the  States  shall  be  necessary  to  a  choice.  In  every 
case,  after  the  choice  of  the  President,  the  person  having  the  greatest  number  of 
votes  of  the  electors  shall  be  the  Vice-President.  Bu  if  there  should  remain  two  or 
more  who  have  equal  votes,  the  Senate  shall  choose  from  them  by  ballot  the  Vice- 
President.] 

The  Congress  may  determine  the  time  of  choosing  the  electors,  and  the  day  on 
which  they  shall  give  their  votes ;  which  day  shall  be  the  same  throughout  the 
United  States. 

No  person  except  a  natural  born  citizen,  or  a  citizen  of  the  United  States  at  the 
time  of  the  adoption  of  this  Constitution,  shall  be  eligible  to  the  office  of  President ; 
neither  shall  any  person  be  eligible  to  that  office  who  shall  not  have  attained  to 
the  age  of  thirty-five  years,  and  been  fourteen  years  resident  within  the  United 
States. 

In  case  of  the  removal  of  the  President  from  office,  or  of  his  death,  resignation,  or 
inability  to  discharge  the  powers  and  duties  of  the  said  office,  the  same  shall  devolve 
on  the  Vice-President,  and  the  Congress  may  by  law  provide  for  the  case  of  removal, 
death,  resignation,  or  inability,  both  of  the  President  and  Vice-President,  declaring 
what  officer  shall  then  act  as  President ;  and  such  officer  shall  act  accordingly  until 
the  disability  be  removed,  or  a  President  shall  be  elected. 

The  President  shall,  at  stated  times,  receive  for  his  services  a  compensation  which 
shall  neither  be  increased  nor  diminished  during  the  period  for  which  he  shall  have 
been  elected,  and  he  shall  not  receive  within  that  period  any  other  emolument  from 
the  United  States,  or  any  of  them. 

Before  he  enter  on  the  execution  of  his  office,  he  shall  take  the  following  oath  or 
affirmation :— "  I  do  solemnly  swear  (or  affirm)  that  I  will  faithfully  execute  the 
office  of  President  of  the  United  States,  and  will,  to  the  best  of  my  ability,  preserve, 
protect,  and  defend  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States." 

SECTION  2.  The  President  shall  be  commander-in-chief  of  the  army  and  navy  of  the 
United  States,  and  of  the  militia  of  the  several  States,  when  called  into  the  actual 
service  of  the  United  States  ;  he  may  require  the  opinion,  in  writing,  of  the  principal 
officer  in  each  of  the  executive  departments,  upon  any  subject  relating  to  the  duties 
of  their  respective  offices  ;  and  he  shall  have  power  to  grant  reprieves  and  pardons 
for  offences  against  the  United  States,  except  in  cases  of  impeachment. 

He  shall  have  power,  by  and  with  the  advice  and  consent  of  the  Senate,  to  make 
treaties,  provided  two-thirds  of  the  senators  present  concur ;  and  he  shall  nominate, 
and  by  and  with  the  advice  and  consent  of  the  Senate  shall  appoint  ambassadors, 
other  public  ministers  and  consuls',  judges  of  the  Supreme  Court,  and  all  other 
officers  of  the  United  States,  whose  appointments  are  not  herein  otherwise  provided 
for,  and  which  shall  be  established  by  law :  but  the  Congress  may  by  law  vest  the 


CONSTITUTION    OF    THE    UNITED    STATES. 

appointment  of  such  inferior  officers,  as  they  think  proper,  in  the  President  alone,  in 
the  courts  of  law,  or  in  the  heads  of  departments. 

The  President  shall  have  power  to  nil  up  all  vacancies  that  may  happen  during  the 
recess  of  the  Senate,  by  granting  commissions  which  shall  expire  at  the  end  of  their 
next  session. 

SECTION  3.  He  shall  from  time  to  time  give  to  the  Congress  information  of  the 
stale  of  the  Union,  and  recommend  to  their  consideration  such  measures  as  he  shall 
judge  necessary  and  expedient ;  he  may,  on  extraoidinary  occasions,  convene  both 
houses,  or  either  of  them,  and  in  case  of  disagreement  between  them  with  respect  to 
the  time  of  adjournment,  he  may  adjourn  them  to  such  time  as  he  shall  think  proper ; 
he  shall  receive  ambassadors  and  other  public  ministers ;  he  shall  take  care  that  the 
laws  be  faithfully  executed,  and  shall  commission  all  the  officers  of  the  United  States. 

SECTION  4.  The  President,  Vice-President,  and  all  civil  officers  of  the  United  States, 
shall  be  removed  from  office  on  impeachment  for,  and  conviction  of,  treason,  bribery, 
or  other  high  crimes  and  misdemeanors. 

ARTICLE    III. 

SECTION  1.  The  judicial  power  of  the  United  States  shall  be  vested  in  one  Supreme 
Court,  and  in  such  inferior  courts  as  the  Congress  may  from  time  to  time  ordain  and 
establish.  The  judges,  both  of  the  Supreme  and  inferior  courts,  shall  hold  their 
offices  during  good  behavior,  and  shall,  at  stated  times,  receive  for  their  services  a 
compensation  which  shall  not  be  diminished  during  their  continuance  in  office. 

SECTION  2.  The  judicial  power  shall  extend  to  all  cases,  in  law  and  equity,  arising 
tinder  this  Constitution,  the  laws  of  the  United  States,  and  treaties  made,  or  which 
shall  be  made,  under  their  authority ;— to  all  cases  affecting  ambassadors,  other  pub- 
lic ministers,  and  consuls  ; — to  all  cases  of  admiralty  and  maritime  jurisdiction ;— to 
controversies  to  which  the  United  States  shall  be  a  party ; — to  controversies  between 
two  or  more  States  ; — between  a  State  and  citizens  of  another  State ; — between  citi- 
zens of  different  States ;— between  citizens  of  the  same  State  claiming  lands  under 
grants  of  different  States,  and  between  a  State,  or  the  citizens  thereof,  and  foreign 
states,  citizens  or  subjects. 

In  all  cases  affecting  ambassadors,  other  public  ministers  and  consuls,  and  those 
in  which  a  State  shall  be  party,  the  Supreme  Court  shall  have  original  jurisdiction. 
In  all  the  other  cases  before  mentioned,  the  Supreme  Court  shall  have  appellate 
jurisdiction,  both  as  to  law  and  fact,  with  euch  exceptions  and  under  such  regula- 
tions as  the  Congress  shall  make. 

The  trial  of  all  crimes,  except  in  cases  of  impeachment,  shall  be  by  jury ;  and  such 
trial  shall  be  held  in  the  State  where  the  said  crimes  shall  have  been  committed ;  but 
when  not  committed  within  any  State,  the  trial  shall  be  at  such  place  or  places  as  the 
Congress  may  by  law  have  directed. 

SECTION  3.  Treason  against  the  United  States  shall  consist  only  in  levying  war 
against  them,  or  in  adhering  to  their  enemies,  giving  them  aid  and  comfort. 

No  person  shall  be  convicted  of  treason  unless  on  the  testimony  of  two  witnesses 
to  the  same  overt  act,  or  on  confession  in  open  court. 

The  Congress  shall  have  power  to  declare  the  punishment  of  treason,  but  no 
attainder  of  treason  shall  work  corruption  of  blood,  or  forfeiture,  except  during  the 
life  of  the  person  attainted. 

ARTICLE    IV. 

SECTION  1.  Full  faith  and  credit  shall  be  given  in  each  State  to  the  public  acts, 
records,  and  judicial  proceedings  of  every  other  State.  And  the  Congress  may  by 


UNITED    STATES    HISTORY. 

general  laws  prescribe  the  manner  in  which  such  acts,  records,  and  proceedings 
ehall  be  proved,  and  the  effect  thereof, 

SECTION  2.  The  citizens  of  each  State  shall  be  entitled  to  all  privileges  and  immu- 
nities of  citizens  in  the  several  States. 

A  person  charged  in  any  State  with  treason,  felony,  or  other  crime,  who  shall  flee 
from  justice,  and  be  found  in  another  State,  shall,  on  demand  of  the  executive  au- 
thority of  the  State  from  which  he  fled,  be  delivered  up,  to  be  removed  to  the  State 
having  jurisdiction  of  the  crime. 

No  person  held  to  service  or  labor  in  one  State,  under  the  laws  thereof,  escaping 
into  another,  shall,  in  consequence  of  any  law  or  regulation  therein,  be  discharged 
from  such  service  or  labor,  but  shall  be  delivered  up  on  claim  of  the  party  to  whom 
euch  service  or  labor  may  be  due. 

SECTION  3.  New  States  may  be  admitted  by  the  Congress  into  this  Union ;  but  no 
new  State  shall  be  formed  or  erected  within  the  jurisdiction  of  any  other  State ; 
nor  any  State  be  formed  by  the  junction  of  two  or  more  States,  or  parts  of  States, 
without  the  consent  of  the  Legislatures  of  the  States  concerned  as  well  as  of  the 
Congress. 

The  Congress  shall  have  power  to  dispose  of  and  make  all  needful  rules  and  regu- 
lations respecting  the  territory  or  other  property  belonging  to  the  United  States ; 
and  nothing  in  this  Constitution  ehall  be  so  construed  as  to  prejudice  any  claims  of 
the  United  States,  or  of  any  particular  State. 

SECTION  4.  The  United  States  shall  guarantee  to  every  State  in  this  Union  a  repub- 
lican form  of  government,  and  shall  protect  each  of  them  against  invasion,  and  on 
application  of  the  Legislature,  or  of  the  executive  (when  the  Legislature  cannot  be 
convened)  against  domestic  violence. 

ARTICLE  V. 

The  Congress,  whenever  two-thirds  of  both  houses  shall  deem  it  necessary,  shall 
propose  amendments  to  this  Constitution,  or,  on  the  application  of  the  Legislatures 
of  two-thirds  of  the  several  States,  shall  call  a  convention  for  proposing  amendments, 
which,  in  either  case,  shall  be  valid  to  all  intents  and  purposes,  as  part  of  this  Con- 
stitution, when  ratified  by  the  Legislatures  of  three-fourths  of  the  several  States,  or 
by  conventions  in  three-fourths  thereof,  as  the  one  or  the  other  mode  of  ratification 
may  be  proposed  by  the  Congress ;  provided  that  no  amendment  which  may  be  made 
prior  to  the  year  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  eight  shall  in  any  manner  affect  the 
first  and  fourth  clauses  in  the  ninth  section  of  the  first  article ;  and  that  no  State, 
without  its  consent,  shall  be  deprived  of  its  equal  suffrage  in  the  Senate. 

ARTICLE   VI. 

An  debts  contracted,  and  engagements  entered  into,  before  the  adoption  of  this 
Constitution,  shall  be  as  valid  against  the  United  States  under  this  Constitution,  as 
under  the  confederation. 

This  Constitution,  and  the  laws  of  the  United  States  which  shall  be  made  in  pur- 
suance thereof;  and  all  treaties  made,  or  which  shall  be  made,  nnder  the  authority 
of  the  United  States,  shall  be  the  supreme  law  of  the  land  ;  and  the  judges  in  every 
State  shall  be  bound  thereby,  anything  in  the  Constitution  or  laws  of  any  State  to 
the  contrary  notwithstanding. 

The  senators  and  representatives  before  mentioned,  and  the  members  of  the  seve- 
ral State  Legislatures,  and  all  executive  and  judicial  oflicers,  both  of  the  United 
States  and  of  the  several  States,  shall  be  bound  by  oath  or  aflinnation  to  support 


CONSTITUTION"    OF    THE    UNITED    STATES.          XXXV 


this  Constitution ;  but  no  religious  test  shall  ever  be  required  i 
any  office  or  public  trust  under  the  United  States. 


a  qualification  to 


ARTICLE    VII. 

The  ratification  of  the  conventions  of  nine  States  shall  be  sufilcient  for  the  estab- 
lishment of  this  Constitution  between  the  States  so  ratifying  the  same. 

Done  in  convention,  by  the  unanimous  consent  of  the  States  present,  the 
seventeenth  day  of  September,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  one  thousand 
seven  hundred  and  eighty-seven,  and  of  the  independence  of  the  United 
States  of  America  the  twelfth. 

In  witness  whereof,  we  have  hereunto  subscribed  our  names. 

GEOEGE  WASHINGTON, 
President,  and  Deputy  from  Virginia. 


NEW  HAMPSHIRE. 
JOHN  LANGDON, 
NICHOLAS  GILMAH. 

MASSACHUSETTS. 
NATHANIEL  GOBHAM, 
Rurus  KING. 

CONNECTICUT. 
WILLIAM  SAMUEL  JOHNSON, 
ROGER  SHEKMAN. 

NEW  YORK. 
ALEXANDER  HAMILTON. 

NEW  JERSEY. 
WILLIAM  LIVINGSTON, 
DAVID  BREARLEY, 
WILLIAM  PATERSON, 
JONATHAN  DAYTON. 

PENNSYLVANIA. 

BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN, 
THOMAS  MIFFLIN, 
ROBERT  MORRIS, 
GEORGE  CLTMEB, 
THOMAS  FITZSIMONS, 
JARED  INGERSOLL, 
JAMES  WILSON, 

GOUVKBNEUH  MOBBIS. 


DELAWARE. 
GEORGE  REED, 
GUNNING  BEDFORD,  Jr., 
JOHN  DICKINSON, 
RICHARD  BASSETT, 
JACOB  BROOM. 

MARYLAND. 

JAMES  M'HENRT, 

DANIEL  OF  ST.  THOMJES  JENIFER, 

DANIEL  CAEBOLL. 

VIRGINIA. 

JOHN  BLAIR, 
JAMES  MADISON,  Jr. 

NORTH  CAROLINA. 
WILLIAM  BLOUNT, 
RICHARD  DOBBS  SPAIGHT, 
HUGH  WILLIAMSON. 

SOUTH  CAROLINA. 
JOHN  RUTLEDGE, 
CHARLES  C.  PINCKNEY, 
CHARLES  PINCKNEY, 


GEORGIA. 
WILLIAM  FEW, 
ABRAHAM  BALDWIN. 


Attest: 


WILLIAM  JACKSON,  Secretary. 


XXXVI  UNITED    STATES    HISTORY. 


TO  THE  CONSTITUTION  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES,  RATIFIED  ACCORD. 
ING  TO  THE  PROVISIONS  OF  THE  FIFTH  ARTICLE  OF  THE  FORB 
GOING  CONSTITUTION. 


AETICLE  THE  FIRST. — Congress  shall  make  no  law  respecting  an  establishment 
of  religion,  or  prohibiting  the  free  exercise  thereof;  or  abridging  the  freedom  of 
speech,  or  of  the  press ;  or  the  right  of  the  people  peaceably  to  assemble,  and  to 
petition  the  government  for  redress  of  grievances. 

ABTICLE  THE  SECOND. — A  well-regulated  militia,  being  necessary  to  the  security 
of  a  free  State,  the  right  of  the  people  to  keep  and  bear  arms  shall  not  be  infringed. 

ARTICLE  THE  THIRD.— No  soldier  shall,  in  time  of  peace,  be  quartered  in  any 
house,  without  the  consent  of  the  owner,  nor  in  time  of  war,  but  in  a  manner  to  be 
prescribed  by  law. 

ARTICLE  THE  FOURTH.— The  right  of  the  people  to  be  secure  in  their  persons, 
houses,  papers,  and  effects,  against  unreasonable  searches  and  seizures,  shall  not  be 
violated,  and  no  warrants  shall  issue,  but  upon  probable  cause,  supported  by  oath 
or  affirmation,  and  particularly  describing  the  place  to  be  searched,  and  the  persons 
or  things  to  be  seized. 

ARTICLE  THE  FIFTH. — No  person  shall  be  held  to  answer  for  a  capital,  or  other- 
wise infamous  crime,  unless  on  a  presentment  or  indictment  of  a  grand  jury,  except 
•  in  cases  arising  in  the  land  or  naval  forces,  or  in  the  militia,  when  in  actual  service 
in  time  of  war  and  public  danger ;  nor  shall  any  person  be  subject  for  the  same 
offence  to  be  twice  put  in  jeopardy  of  life  or  limb  ;  nor  shall  be  compelled  in  any 
criminal  case  to  be  a  witness  against  himself,  nor  to  be  deprived  of  life,  liberty,  or 
property,  without  due  process  of  law ;  nor  shall  private  property  be  taken  for  public 
use,  without  just  compensation. 

ABTICLE  THE  SIXTH.— In  all  criminal  prosecutions,  the  accused  shall  enjoy  the 
right  to  a  speedy  and  public  trial,  by  an  impartial  jury  of  the  State  and  district 
wherein  the  crime  shall  have  been  committed,  which  district  shall  have  been  pre- 
viously ascertained  by  law,  and  to  be  informed  of  the  nature  and  cause  of  the  accusa- 
tion ;  to  be  confronted  with  the  witnesses  against  him  ;  to  have  compulsory  process 
for  obtaining  witnesses  in  his  favor,  and  to  have  the  assistance  of  counsel  for  hid 
defence. 

ABTICLE  THE  SEVENTH.— In  suits  at  common  law,  where  the  value  in  controversy 
shall  exceed  twenty  dollars,  the  right  of  trial  by  jury  shall  be  preserved,  and  no  fact 
tried  by  a  jury  shall  be  otherwise  re-examined  in  any  court  of  the  United  States  than 
according  to  the  rules  of  common  law. 

ABTICLE  THE  EIGHTH.— Excessive  bail  shall  not  be  required,  nor  excessive  fines 
imposed,  nor  cruel  and  unusual  punishments  inflicted. 


CONSTITUTION    OF    THE    UNITED    STATES. 

ARTICLE  THE  NINTH.— The  enumeration  in  the  Constitution  of  certain  rights, 
shall  not  be  construed  to  deny  or  disparage  others  retained  by  the  people. 

ARTICLE  THE  TENTH.— The  powers  not  delegated  to  the  United  States  by  the  Con- 
stitution, nor  prohibited  by  it  to  the  States,  are  reserved  to  the  States  respectively, 
or  to  the  people. 

ABTICLE  THE  ELEVENTH.— The  judicial  power  of  the  United  States  shall  not  be 
construed  to  extend  to  any  suit  in  law  or  equity,  commenced  or  prosecuted  against 
one  of  the  United  States  by  citizens  of  another  State,  or  by  citizens  or  subjects  of 
any  foreign  state. 

ARTICLE  THE  TWELFTH. — The  electors  shall  meet  in  their  respective  States,  and 
vote  by  ballot  for  President  and  Vice-President,  one  of  whom,  at  least,  shall  not  be 
an  inhabitant  of  the  same  State  with  themselves ;  they  shall  name  in  their  ballots 
the  person  voted  for  as  President,  and  in  distinct  ballots  the  person  voted  for  as 
Vice-President ;  and  they  shall  make  distinct  lists  of  all  persons  voted  for  as  Presi- 
dent, and  of  all  persons  voted  for  as  Vice-President,  and  of  the  number  of  votes  for 
each,  which  lists  they  shall  sign  and  certify,  and  transmit  sealed  to  the  seat  of  the 
government  of  the  United  States,  directed  to  the  president  of  the  Senate  ; — the  presi- 
dent of  the  Senate  shall,  in  the  presence  of  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives, 
open  all  the  certificates,  and  the  votes  shall  then  be  counted  ; — the  person  having  the 
greatest  number  of  votes  for  President,  shall  be  the  President,  if  such  number  be  a 
majority  of  the  whole  number  of  electors  appointed ;  and  if  no  person  have  such 
majority,  then  from  the  persons  having  the  highest  numbers  not  exceeding  three  on 
the  list  of  those  voted  for  as  President,  the  House  of  Representatives  shall  choose 
immediately,  by  ballot,  the  President.  But  in  choosing  the  President,  the  votes 
shall  be  taken  by  States,  the  representation  from  each  State  having  one  vote ;  a 
quorum  for  this  purpose  shall  consist  of  a  member  or  members  from  two-thirds  of 
the  States,  and  a  majority  of  all  the  States  shall  be  necessary  to  a  choice.  And  if  the 
House  of  Representatives  shall  not  choose  a  President  whenever  the  right  of  choice 
ehall  devolve  upon  them,  before  the  fourth  day  of  March  next  following,  then  the 
Vice-President  shall  act  as  President,  as  in  the  case  of  the  death  or  other  constitu- 
tional disability  of  the  President.  The  person  having  the  greatest  number  of  votes 
as  Vice-President,  shall  be  .he  Vice-President,  if  such  number  be  a  majority  of  the 
whole  number  of  electors  a;  -  inted ;  and  if  no  person  have  a  majority,  then  from  the 
two  highest  numbers  on  tL ;  ist,  the  Senate  shall  choose  the  Vice-President ;  a 
quorum  for  the  purpose  shall  c- .  sist  of  two-thirds  of  the  whole  number  of  senators, 
and  a  majority  of  the  whole  number  shall  be  necessary  to  a  choice.  But  no  person 
constitutionally  ineligible  to  thb  office  of  President  shall  be  eligible  to  that  of  Vice- 
President  of  the  United  States. 

ARTICLE  THE  THIRTEENTH. — Section  1.  Neither  slavery  nor  involuntary  servitude, 
except  as  a  punishment  for  crime,  whereof  the  party  shall  have  been  duly  convicted, 
shall  exist  within  the  United  States,  or  any  place  subject  to  their  jurisdiction. 

Section  2.  Congress  shall  have  power  to  enforce  this  article  by  appropriate  legis- 
lation. 

ARTICLE  THE  FOURTEENTH.— Section  1.  All  persons  born  or  naturalized  in  the 
United  States,  and  subject  to  the  jurisdiction  thereof,  are  citizens  of  the  United 
States  and  of  the  State  wherein  they  reside.  No  State  shall  make  or  enforce  any 
law  which  shall  abridge  the  privileges  or  immunities  of  citizens  of  the  United 
States ;  nor  shall  any  State  deprive  any  person  of  life,  liberty,  or  property,  without 
due  process  of  law,  nor  deny  to  any  person  within  its  jurisdiction  the  equal  protec- 
tion of  the  laws. 

Section  2.  Representatives  shall  be  appointed  among  the  several  States  according 
to  their  respective  numbers,  counting  the  whole  number  of  persons  in  each  State, 


XXXV111  UNITED    STATES    HISTOET. 

excluding  Indians  not  taxed.  But  when  the  right  to  vote  at  any  election  for  the 
choice  of  electors  for  President  and  Vice-President  of  the  United  States,  representa- 
tives in  Congress,  the  executive  or  judicial  officers  of  a  State,  or  the  members  of  the 
Legislature  thereof,  is  denied  to  any  of  the  male  inhabitants  of  such  State,  being 
twenty-one-  years  of  age,  and  citizens  of  the  United  States,  or  in  any  way  abridged, 
except  for  participation  in  rebellion  or  other  crime,  the  basis  of  representation 
therein  shall  le  reduced  in  the  proportion  which  the  number  of  such  male  citizens 
shall  bear  to  the  whole  number  of  male  citizens  twenty-one  years  of  age  in  such 
State. 

Section  3.  No  person  shall  be  a  senator  or  representative  in  Congress,  or  elector  of 
President  and  Vice-President,  or  hold  any  office,  civil  or  military,  under  the  United 
States,  or  under  any  State,  who,  having  previously  taken  an  oath  as  a  member  of 
Congress,  or  as  an  officer  of  the  United  States,  or  as  a  member  of  any  State  Legisla- 
ture, or  as  an  executive  or  judicial  officer  of  any  State,  to  support  the  Constitution  of 
the  United  States,  shall  have  engaged  in  insurrection  or  rebellion  against  the  same, 
or  given  aid  or  comfort  to  the  enemies  thereof.  But  Congress  may,  by  a  vote  of  two- 
thirds  of  each  house,  remove  such  disability. 

Section  4.  The  validity  of  the  public  debt  of  the  United  States,  authorized  by  law, 
including  debts  incurred  for  payment  of  pensions  and  bounties  for  services  in  sup- 
pressing insurrection  or  rebellion,  shall  not  be  questioned.  But  neither  the  United 
States  nor  any  State  shall  assume  or  pay  any  debt  or  obligation  incurred  in  aid  of 
insurrection  or  rebellion  against  the  United  States,  or  any  claim  for  the  loss  or 
emancipation  of  any  slave ;  but  all  such  debts,  obligations,  and  claims  shall  be  held 
illegal  and  void. 

Section  5.  Congress  shall  have  power  to  enforce,  by  appropriate  legislation,  the 
provisions  of  this  article. 

ARTICLE  THE  FIFTEENTH.—  Section  I.  The  rights  of  citizens  of  the  United  States 
to  vote  shall  not  be  denied  or  abridged  by  the  United  States,  or  by  any  State,  on 
account  of  race,  color,  or  previous  condition  of  servitude. 

Section  3.  Congress  shall  have  power  to  enforce  this  article  by  appropriate  legis- 
lation. 


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INDEX. 


Thit  Index  refer*  io  the  notet  at  the  bottom  of  the  page  at  well  at 
the  text  of  the  book. 


Acadia,  85. 
Adams,  John,  154. 
Adams,  J.  Q.,  174. 
Alabama,  admission  of,  203. 
secession  of,  198. 
Alabama  and  Kearsarge,  268. 
Alaska,  purchase  of,  286. 
Alexandria,  seizure  of,  217. 
Algiers,  153, 171. 
Alien  and  sedition  laws,  154. 
Allen.  Ethan,  110. 
Andre,  execution  of.  136. 
Andros,  Governor,  59.  63,  67. 
Antietam,  battle  of,  242. 
Antiquities.  9. 
Anti-rent  difficulties,  183. 
Arkansas,  admission  of,  204. 
"          secession  of,  217. 
Arlington  Heights,  seizure  of,  217. 
Arnoid,  Benedict,  110,  111,  112,  122,  124, 

135-137,  139,  140. 
Ashby,  General,  237. 
Atlanta,  advance  on,  256,  257. 
Atlantic  cable,  285. 
Averysboro,  battle  of,  272. 
Ayllon,  De,  27. 

Bacon's  ^Rebellion,  52. 

Balboa.  27. 

Ball's  Bluff,  battle  of,  220. 

Baltimore,  Lord,  72. 

Baltimore,  Massachusetts  troops  at,  217. 

Bank  of  United  States,  152,  176,  181. 

Beaufort,  capture  of,  232. 

Belmont,  battle  of,  221. 

Bennington.  battle  of,  123. 

Bentonville,  battle  of,  272. 

Bermuda  Hundred,  General  Butler  at.  262. 

Big  Bethel,  battle  of,  218. 

Big  Black  River,  245. 

Black  Hawk  war.  177. 

Blockade,  effects  of,  267. 

Booneville,  battle  of,  221. 

Boston  massacre.  104. 


Boston  Port  Bill.  105. 
Boston,  evacuation  of,  112. 
Boundary.  N.  E.,180. 

N.  W..  183. 

Braddock,  General.  64. 
Brandywine.  battle  of,  119. 
Buchanan,  James,  198. 
Buell,  General.  228. 
Bnena  Vista,  battle  of,  188. 
Bull  Run,  battles  of,  219,  241. 
Bunker  Hill,  battle  of.  108. 
Burgovne,  surrender  of,  125. 
Burnside's  expedition,  232. 
Burr,  Aaron,  156. 
Bragg' s  expedition,  228. 
Brown,  John,  197. 

Cabot,  John,  25. 

Cabot,  Sebastian,  25. 

Cabrillo.  29. 

Calhoun,  John  C.,  173.  176, 184. 
I  California,  admission  of,  206-208. 
gold  discovered  in,  190. 

Camden,  battle  of,  133. 
i  Carnifex  Ferry,  battle  of,  218. 

Carolinas,  the,  74. 

Carolina,  secession  of  South,  198. 
"         secession  of  North,  217. 

Caroline,  burning  of  the,  179. 

Carrick's  Ford,  battle  of,  218. 

Carthage,  battle  of,  221. 

Carrier,  30. 

Cedar  Mountain,  240. 

Cerro  Gordo.  battle  of,  188. 

Chambersburg,  burning  of,  264. 

Champion  Hifls,  245. 

Champlain.  32. 

Chancellorsville.  battle  of,  250. 

Chantilly,  battle  of,  241. 

Chapultepec,  capture  of,  189. 

Charleston,  attack  on,  129,  254. 
"  surrender  of,  133. 
"  capture  of,  272. 

Chattanooga,  battle  of,  247. 


INDEX. 


xliii 


Cheat  Mountain,  2*8. 

Chesapeake  and  Leopard,  158. 

Chesapeake  and  Shannon,  105. 

Chickamauga.  battle  of.  247. 

Chippewa,  battle  of,  108. 

Chrysler's  Field,  battle  of,  163. 

Clay,  Henry,  173,  176,  184,  193. 

Clayborne's  rebellion,  73. 

Clinton,  General,  115, 135. 

Cold  Harbor,  battle  of,  261. 

Coligny,  31. 

Columbia,  S.  C.,  capture  of,  272. 

Columbia  River,  discovery  of,  208. 

Columbus,  20. 

Commissions,  Christian  and  Sanitary,  269. 

Compromise,  Missouri,  172. 

of  1850, 193. 

Confederacy  at  Montgomery,  Sonthern,199. 
Confederate  Capital  at  Richmond,  217. 
Congress,  First  Continental,  106. 
Connecticut,  61. 

Constitution,  adoption  of  Federal,  143. 
Constitution  and  Guerriere,  161. 
Continental  money.  134. 
Contreras,  battle  of,  189. 
Convention,  Hartford,  169. 
Con  way  cabal,  126. 
Corinth,  battle  of,  228. 
Cornwall!*,  116,  119,  133,  138, 140. 
Court-House,  battle  of  Guilford,  138. 

"  battle  of  Hanover,  238. 

Cowpens,  battle  of  the,  137. 
Crisis  of  '37,  178. 
Cross  Keys,  237. 
Crown  Point,  attack  on,  86. 

"          taken,  111. 
Cuba,  invasion  of,  193. 
Cumberland,  233. 

'Bade's  Massacre,  177. 

Danbury,  burning  of,  120. 

Darling,  Fort,  235. 

Davis,  Jeff.,  177,  275. 

De  Ay  lion,  27. 

De  Leon,  Ponce,  26. 

De  Monts,  32, 

De  Narvaez,  27. 

De  Soto,  27. 

Decatur,  Lieutenant,  157. 

Deerfleld,  burning  of,  79. 

Delaware,  6a 

Detroit,  surrender  of,  160. 

Donaldson's  Point,  227. 

Donelsoii,  Fort,  224. 

Dorr  rebellion,  the.  181. 

Douglas,  Stephen  A.,  197. 

Draft  riot  in  New  York  City,  252. 

Drake,  Sir  Francis.  35. 

Dranesville,  skirmish  at,  221. 

Dred  Scott  decision,  196. 

Du  Quesne,  Fort,  84.  85. 

Dustin,  capture  of  Mrs.,  77. 

Early's  Raid,   General,  263. 
Edward,  Fort,  massacre,  86. 
Ellsworth,  Colonelj  217. 
Embargo  on  American  ships,  158. 
Emancipation  Proclamation,  242. 
England\  142,  152,  157,  159, 169, 180. 


Espejo,  29. 

Eutaw  Springs,  battle  of,  139. 

Explorations,  Dutch,  39. 

English,  34. 

French,  30. 

on  the  Pacific,  29. 

Spanish,  26. 

Fair  Oaks,  battle  of,  238. 
Farragut,  231,  232,  266. 
Federalists,  the,  143. 
Fenians,  the,  286. 
Fillmore,  Millard,  191. 
Fisher,  capture  of  Fort,  267. 
Five  Forks,  battle  of,  273. 
Florida,  admission  of,  205. 

"       discovery  of,  27. 

"        purchase  of,  173. 

"       secession  of,  198. 
Fortress  Monroe,  218. 
France,  126.  153, 155, 157,  178. 
Franklin,  Benjamin,  126. 
Eraser,  General,  124. 
Frazier  s  Farm,  encounter  at,  239. 
Fredericksburg,  battle  of,  242. 
Fremont,  J.  C.,  188, 196. 
Frenchtown,  Indian  atrocities  at,  164. 
Frobisher,  34. 
Frolic  and  Wasp,  162. 
Fugitive  Slave  Law,  193, 197. 
Fulton,  Robert,  157. 

Gadsden  furchase,  195. 

Gage,  the  Boston  boys  and  General,  113. 

Games's  Mill,  battle  of,  239. 

Galveston,  capture  of,  251. 

Gates,  General,  122, 133. 

Genet,  difficulties  with,  153. 

Georgia,  76. 

"       secession  of,  198. 
German  town,  battle  of,  120. 
Gettysburg,  battle  of,  252. 
Gilbert.  Sir  Humphrey,  36. 
Goftx-,  the  regicide,  58. 
Gosnold,  27. 
Grand  model,  the,  75. 
Grant.  Ulysses  S.,  221,  224,  225,  247,  255. 

260,  287. 

Greene,  General,  117, 137, 138. 
Guilford  Court-House,  battle  of,  138. 

Hate,  Captain  Nathan,  115. 
Hamilton's  plans,  151, 152. 
Hamilton,  death  of,  156. 
Hampton.218. 

Hanging  Rock,  battle  of,  134. 
Hanover  Court-House.  battle  of,  238. 
Harper's  Ferry.  217,  241. 
Harrison.  William  Henry,  165, 180. 
Hatteras  Inlet,  222. 
Hayne,  Colonel,  Isaac,  134. 
Hayne,  Robert  Y.,  176. 
Henry,  Fort,  224. 
Henry,  Patrick,  102,  106. 
Hessians,  the,  115.  117. 
Hornet  and  Peacock,  166. 
Horseshoe  Bend,  battle  of,  ICG. 
Howe,  General,  114,  115. 
Huguenots,  the,  75. 


xliv 


INDEX. 


Hull,  Captain  Isaac,  161. 
Hull,  General  William,  160. 
Hutchinson,  Mrs.  Anne,  57. 

Illinois,  admission  of,  203. 
Independence,  Declaration  of,  114. 
Indiana,  admission  of,  202. 
Indians,  11. 

Inter-colonial  wars,  77. 
Iowa,  admission  of,  206. 
Island  No.  10,  227. 
luka,  battle  of,  228. 

Jackson,  ^ndreff,  166,  170,  174,  175. 

Jackson.  "  Stonewall,"  219,  237. 

Jamestown,  38,  46,  52. 

Japan,  treaty  with,  195. 

Jasper,  Sergeant,  113, 129. 

Jay,  Chief  Justice,  153. 

Jefferson,  Thomas,  155. 

Jesuits,  the  missionary,  33. 

Johnson,  Andrew,  281. 

Johnston,  General  Albert  Sydney,  225, 226. 

Johnston,  General  Joseph  E.,  220, 236,  237, 

233,  256. 
Jones,  victory  of  Paul,  132. 

Kansas,  admission  of,  209. 
Kansas  difficulties,  195. 
Kansas-Nebraska  bill,  194. 
Kearney,  General,  241. 
Kentucky,  admission  of,  200. 
Kidd,  William,  68. 
Kilpatrick,  General,  259. 
King's  Mountain,  battle  of,  134. 
Know-Nothing  party,  1%. 


siege 
,  122. 


Kosciusko 

I,afavette,  General,  119,  139,  173. 
Lake  'George,  battle  of,  86. 
Lake  Champlain,  battle  of,  168. 
La  Salle,  34. 
Laudonniere,  31. 
Lee,  General  Charles,  116,  127. 
Lee,  General  Robert  E.,  218,  238,  260. 
Lee's  army,  capture  of,  274. 
Leisler,  execution  of,  67. 
Lexington,  Mass.,  battle  of,  106. 
Lexington,  Mo.,  battle  of,  221. 
Lincoln,  Abraham,  177,  197,  215. 

"       assassination  of.  2  To. 
Long  Island,  battle  of,  114.  • 

Lookout  Mountain,  battle  of,  248. 
Louisburg,  80,  85. 
Louisiana,  admission  of,  201. 
purchase  of,  156. 
secession  of,  198. 
Lundy's  Lane,  battle  of,  167. 

Mackinaw,  surrender  of,  160. 
Madison.  James.  159. 
Magruder,  General,  235. 
Maine,  60,  204. 
Malvern  Hill,  battle  of,  239. 
Manassas,  battle  of,  235. 
Marion,  General,  1:34.  138. 
Marquette,  Father,  33. 


Maryland.  72. 

isvasion  of,  241. 
Massachusetts,  53. 
McAllister,  capture  of  Fort,  259. 
McClellan,   General  George  B.,  218,  235, 

269. 

McCrea,  murder  of  Miss,  121. 
McHenry,  bombardment  of  Fort,  168. 
Maximilian,  284. 
Mechanicsville,  battle  of,  239. 
Meigs,  seige  of  Fort,  164. 
Melendez,29. 

Memphis,  surrender  of.  227. 
Mernmac  and  Monitor.  233. 
Mexico,  boundary  of,  195. 

"       surrender  of,  189. 

"      treaty  with,  190. 

"      war  with,  185. 
Michigan,  admission  of,  204. 
Mill  Spring,  battle  of,  224. 
Mims,  massacre  of  Fort,  166. 
Minnesota,  admission  of,  208. 
Mi-M-sippi  River,  discovery  of,  28. 
Mississippi,  admission  of,  202. 
"  secession  of,  198. 

Missouri  Compromise,  172. 

"        admission  of,  204. 
Monmouth,  battle  of,  127. 
Monocacy,  battle  of,  263. 
Monroe,  James,  172. 
Monroe  doctrine,  173. 
Monroe,  Fortress  of,  218. 
Montcalm,  General,  87,  ?9. 
Monterey,  capture  of,  186. 
Montreal,  surrender  of,  89. 
Mormons,  the,  182. 
Morris,  Robert,  135, 139. 
Motte,  Mrs..  138. 
Monltrie,  Fort,  113,  200. 
Mound  builders,  12. 
Murfreesboro,  battle  of,  229. 
Mutiny  Act,  103. 

Nashville,  battle  of,  258. 
Navigation  Act,  51,  59. 
Nelson,  Governor,  140. 
Nevada,  admission  of,  277. 
Newbern,  capture  Of,  232. 
New  Hampshire,  60. 
New  York,  65. 

City,  fire  at,  179. 
New  Jersey,  68. 
New  Orleans,  battle  of,  169. 

capture  of,  230. 
Niagara,  capture  of  Fort,  87. 
Norfolk  Navy  Yard,  217,  235. 
Northmen,  13. 
Nullification,  175. 

Offletfiorpe,  76,  80. 
Ohio,  admission  of,  201. 
Okechobee,  battle  of,  178. 
Omnibus  Bill.  193. 
Ord,  General  E.  O.  C..  221. 
Oregon,  admission  of,  208. 
Osceola,  177. 

farific,  discovery  of  the,  35. 
railroads,  287. 


INDEX. 


xlv 


Palto  Alto,  battle  of,  185. 
Patriot  War,  the,  179. 
Pea  Ridge,  battle  of,  230. 
Penn,  V\  illiain,  U'J-72. 
Pennsylvania,  69. 
Pequod  War,  62. 
Perry's  victory,  164. 
Perryville,  battle  of,  228. 
Petersburg,  attack  on,  262. 
"  capture  of,  271 

Philadelphia,  70. 

Philadelphia  destroyed,  Frigate,  157. 
Philippi,  battle  of,  218. 
Pickens,  Fort,  223. 
Pierce,  Franklin,  194. 
Pike,  6eueral.  163. 
Pilgrims,  landing  of  the,  53. 
Pillow,  capture  of  Fort,  205. 
Pinckney,  William.  155. 
Pitcher,  Major  Molly,  128. 
Plattsburg  and  Lake  Champlain,  battle  of, 

168. 

Pleasant  Hill,  battle  of,  265. 
Pocahontas,  48,  49. 
Polk,  James  K.,  185. 
Pope,  campaign  against,  240. 
Port  Gibson,  battle  of,  245. 
Port  Hudson,  surrender  of,  246. 
Port  Republic,  237. 
Port  Royal,  222,  223. 
Powhatan,  48. 

Prescott,  capture  of  General,  121. 
President  and  Little  Belt,  159. 
Price,  General,  228. 
Princeton,  battle  of,  118. 
Privateers,  Confederate,  222. 
Public  lands,  194. 
Pulaski,  Count,  129. 

"        reduction  of  Fort,  233. 
Puritans,  the.  53. 
Putnam,  Israel,  108, 130. 

Qitnkers,  the,  57,  69. 
Quebec,  attack  on,  87. 

"      surrender  of,  89. 

"  battle  of,  112. 
Queenstown,  battle  of,  160. 

ftateif/fi,  Sir  trailer,  36. 

Rail,  death  of,  117. 

Randolph,  John,  153. 

Reconstruction,  282. 

Red  River  expedition,  265. 

Republican  party,  153. 

Resaca,  Ga.,  battle  of.  257. 

Resaca  de  La  Palma,  battle  of,  185. 

Rhode  Island,  64. 

Ribaut.  31. 

Richmond,  siege  of,  262. 

"  capture  of,  273. 

Rich  Mountain,  battle  of,  218. 
Roanoke  Island,  36,  232. 
Rolfe,  John,  49. 
Rosecrans,  General,  228. 

Snbine  Cross  'Koartf,  battle  of,  265. 
Sackett's  Harbor,  attack  on,  163. 
San  Francisco,  207. 
Santo  Domingo,  289. 


Saratoga,  battles  of,  123. 

Savage's  Station,  239. 

Savannah,  129,  233. 

Schenectady,  attack  on,  77, 

Scott,  General  Winfield,  167, 188,  220. 

Secession  of  Southern  State*,  198. 

Seminoles,  war  with,  177. 

Seven  Days'  Battles,  239. 

Serapis  and  Bon  Homme  Richard,  132. 

Seward,  attack  on  William  H.,  276. 

Shaw,  colored  troops  of  Colonel,  254. 

Shays's  rebellion,  143. 

Shenandoah,  Jackson  in  the,  237. 

Sheridan's  campaign,  264. 

Sherman's  march  to  the  sea,  259. 

Sherman's  march  through  the  Carolinas, 

271. 

Shiloh,  battle  of,  225. 
Sioux,  war  with  the,  244. 
Slemmer,  Lieutenant,  223. 
Smith,  John,  46. 
Smith,  Kirby,  219,  228. 
Smith,  Joseph,  las. 
South  Mountain,  241. 
Spain,  153, 173. 
Spotlsylvania.battle  of,  260. 
Squatter  sovereignty,  194,  197. 
Stamp  Act.  102,  103. 
Stanton,  Edwin  M.,  284. 
Stanwix,  Fort,  122. 
Star  of  the  West.  200. 
Starving  Time,  48. 
Steadman,  attack  on  Fort,  272. 
Steele,  Mrs.,  138. 
Stephenson,  battle  of  Fort,  164. 
Stony  Point,  capture  of,  130. 
Stuart's  raid,  General,  238. 
Stuyvesant,  Peter,  66. 
Sub-Treasury  bill,  179. 
Sullivan,  General,  119, 130. 
Summary  of  First  Epoch,  41. 

Second  Epoch,  96. 
"  Third  Epoch,  144. 

Fourth  Epoch,  210. 

Fifth  Epoch,  277. 
Sumner,  Charles,  195. 
Sumpter,  General,  134, 138. 
Sumter,    Fort,  199,  216,  254. 

Taylor,  Zachaiy,  186, 187, 191. 
Tennessee,  admission  of,  201. 

"  secession  of,  217. 

Texas,  annexation  of,  183. 

"    admission  of,  205. 

"    secession  of,  198. 
Thames,  battle  of  the,  165. 
Ticonderoga,  attack  on,  86. 

"  capture  of,  110. 

Tippecanoe,  battle  of,  159. 
Trent  affair,  222. 
Trenton,  battle  of,  116. 
Tripoli,  157. 
Tyler,  John,  181. 

~^altf>v  forrre,  winter  in,  125. 
Van  Buren,  Martin,  178. 
Van  Dorn,  General,  228. 
Vera  Cruz,  capture  of,  188. 
Vermont,  admission  of,  200. 


xlvi 


INDEX. 


Verrazani,  30. 
Vesputius,  Americus,  24. 
Vicksburg,  280,  245. 
Virginia,  40,  217. 
Virginia,  West,  218. 

Waff  net;  capture  of  Port,  854. 
War,  Black  Hawk,  177. 

"  Civil,  215. 

"  French  and  Indian,  81. 

"  in  Georgia.  246,  256. 

"  in  Missouri,  221,  230. 

"  in  Tennessee,  246,  250,  257. 

"  in  Virginia,  217,  260. 

"  in  the  Bast,  235,  250-254. 

"  in  the  West,  224,  244-246. 

"  King  George's,  80. 

"  King  Philip's,  57. 

"  King  William's,  77. 

"  of  1812, 160. 

"  on  sea  and  coast,  222,  230,  254,  266. 

"  Pontiac's,  90. 

"  Queen  Anne's,  79. 

"  Revolutionary,  101. 

"  the  Pequod,  62. 

"  with  the  Creeks,  166. 

"  with  Mexico,  185. 

"  with  Seminoles,  177. 
Wars,  Intercolonial,  77. 


Warren,  General,  110. 

Washington,  George,  81-85,  111,  112,  115- 

118,  126,  128,  139,  142,  147,  148. 
Washington  by  British,  capture  of,  169. 
Washington  taken,  Fort,  116. 
Waxhaw  Creek,  battle  of,  133. 
Wayne,  General,  119,  152. 
Webster,  Daniel,  184.  192. 
Weldon  Railroad,  attack  on,  263. 
Whisky  insurrection,  152. 
White  Plains,  battle  of,  116. 
Whitney,  Eli,  172. 
Wilderness,  battle  of  the,  200. 
Williams,  Roger,  57,  62,  64. 
Williamsburg,  battle  of,  236. 
Wilmot  Proviso,  190. 
Wilson's  Creek,  battle  of,  221 
Winchester,  battle  of,  264. 
Winthrop,  John,  62. 

Major,  218. 

Wisconsin,  admission  of,  206. 
Witchcraft,  Salem,  60. 
Wolfe,  General,  87-89. 
Wyoming,  massacre  of,  128. 

York,  capture  of,  163. 
Yorktown,  siege  of,  235. 

Zollicoffer,  General ',  m 


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